


Bloodbound: the Red Pawn

by ArenLuxon



Series: Bloodbound [1]
Category: Highschool DxD (Anime)
Genre: F/M, Harems, Humor, Mild Sexual Content, Multi, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-04-23 16:15:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 122,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14336271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArenLuxon/pseuds/ArenLuxon
Summary: The Harem King has the ability to take powers from others. His goal remains the same of course: getting a harem. But this newfound ability comes with some unexpected problems.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There is quite some sexual content in this fic, but the only full on smut scenes are in chapters 19, 23 and 24

[Transform.]

The voice actress did her utter best to perform as the three perverts watched the screen. They were creeping closer and closer as the main character was quickly losing her uniform and her lines got ever closer to moaning.

The latest work of Momozono Momo: Kaben Rider Pinky, had put in even less thinly veiled plot and more of the fanservice that had made Motohama buy this DVD in the first place. The 'plot' flirted with straight up hentai, but it had not received an age restriction (yet).

[Typhoon Lick.]

"That's a weird kissing technique," Issei commented.

"Who cares?" Motohama replied. The images reflected on his glasses. "This is amazing."

He brought his face even closer to the screen, smiling with his mouth half open. Issei was certain he saw some drool dripping out.

"He really outdid himself this time," Matsuda agreed. His eyes were glued to the screen as well.

Issei smiled a little. No wonder none of them had ever gotten a girlfriend.

But he had to agree with them. Momozono Momo was a genius who knew exactly how to awaken the pervertedness buried deep within people, or, in their case, not so deep.

The scene moved to another panty-shot. He had lost count somewhere around nine. And that in a solid five minutes, looks like Momozono was trying to set a new record.

"I heard they are planning an eight season of Magical Girl Milky Spiral," Issei said.

"No way." For the first time, Matsuda looked away from the screen.

"The ero-gods are smiling upon us," Motohama agreed, still not looking away from the tv.

"Yeah." Matsuda suddenly sighed. "But the school-gods are cock-blocking us."

"How so?" Issei asked.

"Don't tell me you forgot about that physics report?" He looked back at the screen just in time to see the next boob-groping.

"Oh fuck," Issei cursed. "Was that due to tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Matsuda sighed.

"Mom's gonna kill me if I fail," Issei said. He frantically looked for his bag in the darkness.

"Or worse…" Motohama said.

"Take away your porn," Matsuda finished.

"No way. She doesn't know where I hide it."

"Everyone knows you hide your porn under your bed.  _Especially_  your mom."

"I have to go," Issei said. He found his bag.

"Yeah, me too," Matsuda said, he seemed less concerned. "We can finish watching this on the weekend."

Motohama shrugged. "I already made my report, you're not taking away this divine piece of art from me."

"Traitor," Matsuda mumbled. "Come on, Issei."

"See you tomorrow, Motohama."  
"Sure."

They left the house.

"See you at school tomorrow," Matsuda said. He had to go in a different direction.

"Yeah." Issei jumped on his bike.

He pushed down hard and the bike accelerated. The wind played with his hair.

Soon, he arrived at the park. Normally he would not go through it in the dark since this park wasn't safe at night (according to his mom), but he had a physics report to finish and his ero stash was at stake, so he turned and steered his bike through the narrow dirt roads.

Stupid physics report. Why was he even-

Whoa.

Issei slammed the breaks and sharply turned to the left. The bike came to an abrupt stop. Issei put down his foot to keep his balance.

His bike stood still now and Issei was breathing hard. He took a deep breath and then slowly let out it to calm down. Something massive had almost crashed into him. He hadn't seen it very well, but it was white and about the size of a very large man. Strange. Maybe his mom was right about driving through the park this late. But then again, she had warned him for drug dealers, not strange white shadows coming out of nowhere.

Anyway, he should get out of-

A gurgling sound made the hairs on his neck stand upright. It came from the bushes. The same bushes where the white shadow had emerged from.

Issei swallowed hard. Now would be a good time to leave. Yet, for some reason, he put down his bike and walked towards the sound.

He saw him a bit further. It was a man in his late twenties, with a black beard and greasy black hair. He was wearing black clothes stained with a disturbing amount of blood. The man leaned backwards against a tree, clutching his stomach with both hands as more and more blood leaked out of the gaping wound. With every breath, he slid a bit lower.

Issei crouched near him.

"I'll call an ambulance," he said.

"Don't bother," the man said. "I'm dead already. What's your name, boy?"

"Issei. Hyoudou Issei."

"I'm-" he coughed. Blood burst out of his mouth. The next moment, his head went limp.

Isei checked the wrist of the man. No heartbeat, as he had already guessed.

Should he call the cops? He should, right?

He stood up and took out his phone. Issei was halfway dialing the number before he realised how stupid that idea was. What would he say to them? That he had seen a white shadow? That he was driving through the park in the dark? Mom would not approve of that. Not to mention the whole mess would take time. Time he needed to finish his physics report. He didn't have time to be interrogated about white shadows at this hour. Besides, he hadn't seen anything.

"Sorry man," Issei said, putting his phone back. "There is a porn stash at stake."

He crouched back down.

Issei checked the dead man's pockets. There was something hard in his right pocket.

He had to shift the body a bit, but eventually he managed to get out a black phone. This one could not be traced back to him.

He pressed 'emergency call' and dialed the cops.

"There is a dead man in the park," he simply said. "Near the fountain."

"Who am I speaking to?" A tired voice asked at the other end.

Issei hung up.

At least they would find the body. The cops could sort out the rest without him.

Damn.

He looked at his hands. He had gotten some blood on them by searching the dead man and taking his pulse earlier.

Issei wiped them on his pants, but for some reason, the spots kept burning. It didn't hurt, but the parts covered in blood felt warmer and itched a bit. It was a very strange feeling. As if the blood was infecting him on the inside.

He would have to sneak in at the back and wash his hands before mom noticed.

Issei went back to his bike.

He picked it up and got on it.

The rest of the way, nothing happened, but Issei kept his speed as high as possible and looked over his shoulder all the time. He couldn't shake the nagging feeling that someone, or maybe something, was following him.

He arrived home and went inside. His mother and father were watching tv so it was easy to sneak in through the back door and wash his hands in the kitchen. Then, he just walked into the living room.

"I'm home," he announced, trying to keep his voice normal.

"Welcome back," his dad said, not looking away from the tv.

They were watching some serious anime with not enough boobs to be interesting.

"Did you finish your homework?" His mom asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah. Motohama helped me a bit," Issei lied smoothly.

"He's a good boy," his mom said. "A bit perverted, but I guess that's a requirement if you're friends with our son."

"We should be happy our son even has friends," his dad added.

"Always so supportive," Issei mumbled. They probably knew he was lying. But he would finish it now so it was fine. His precious pornography was safe.

Issei went up to his room. The spots on his hand kept itching and burning even though he had washed away the blood. Maybe it was some kind of placebo-effect? Just the thought that there had been blood on them could be enough to make him feel that itch when it wasn't there at all.

A dead man in the park. He knew the park was dangerous at night, but  _murder_? That was several bridges further than drugs dealing.

Maybe a deal had gone out of hand or something.

It didn't matter to him of course. He had more important things to do.

Issei flicked on the light and took out his half-finished physics report.

He sat down at his desk and sighed deeply. This would take-

Wait a minute. He knew this question. And that one as well.

His pen raced over the paper.

This was strange.

The answers all came very easy to him when just the other day he had struggled with physics. It also felt like his writing speed had increased.

Issei finished his report in five minutes and read it over. It looked good. Suspiciously good. Was he dreaming?

He rubbed his eyes.

Issei decided to go to bed early tonight. A good night sleep and everything would be back to normal, he told himself.

Yet that guy in the park would not go back to normal.

Could he have done more to help?

He had only arrived moments before the man died. And even if he had been earlier, it looked like that white shadow had killed the man and he did not want to fight whatever that thing was.

Issei fell asleep quickly. He dreamed about physics reports, boobs and, strangely, a red dragon.


	2. Chapter 2

[Wake up, onii-chan. Wake-]

Issei slammed the button on his alarm clock. He was careful not to damage it since this was the best alarm clock he had ever had and he was certain he would never find it again. Unfortunately, there was no way to control which voice would wake him up in the morning. He should count himself lucky it was the little sister today.

Was last night a dream? The dead man in the park. He must have dreamed it.

Issei looked at his desk.

No way.

There was something on his desk from last night.

He stood up and took the paper.

Yeah, that was his physics report.

His eyes scanned the paper and detected no mistakes. Something was wrong here. No way he was suddenly this good at physics. No way he was even good enough to  _notice_ he was good at physics.

Issei put the report on his bag.

Time to get dressed.

When he arrived downstairs, his parents were already having breakfast. As usual, his dad was reading the newspaper while eating.

"Good morning, dad," Issei said.

"Morning," He mumbled, not taking his eyes of the newspaper.

"You mind if I read that paper if you're finished?" Issei asked. He sat down.

His dad lowered the paper. "Ise?" His eyes narrowed.

His mom felt his forehead. "Hm, no fever," she said.

"I just want to read the newspaper, I'm not sick," Issei insisted.

"You never read the newspaper," his dad said.

"Well, I want to check something."

"Season eight of Mureru Spiral is not in there," his dad said.

"Magical Girl Milky Spiral," Issei mumbled. Although he was surprised his dad had gotten the eight right.

"Here you go," his dad handed him the paper. "I guess we should applaud this sudden development."

"Thanks."

He ate his corn flakes as he flicked through the paper.

Maybe it had been a dream after a-

Never mind. In the local news, he found a small article about a man found dead in the park. The police was looking for people who knew more about the identity of the man as he had no papers and dental records or DNA had given no result.

So it hadn't been a dream. He had actually found a dead man last night.

Issei put down the paper.

"Found what you're looking for?" His dad asked.

"I guess." He handed the paper back.

His dad eyed him suspiciously for another moment before he returned his attention to the newspaper.

Issei ate his breakfast and then went to school.

He met one of his only two friends at the entrance.

"Hey, Motohama," he said. "Can you take a look at this?"

"What is it?" He asked as Issei handed him a paper. "Research material?"

"Physics report."  
"You didn't make it last night?"

"I did. I just want you to check my answers."

"Just because I have glasses doesn't mean I'm smart," Motohama said, but he still looked at the paper.

A silence fell.

"And?" Issei asked.

"This all looks perfect," Motohama said. "What did you do?"

Issei shrugged. "Maybe Kaben Rider Pinky inspired me."

"That would not surprise me," Motohama said.

Someone else stopped his bike right next to them. If he hadn't braked in time he would have run over Issei.

"What's going on here?" Matsuda asked.

"Issei made a perfect physics report," Motohama said.

"You're kidding?"

"I have no idea how he did it, but it looks quite good."

"Let me copy it," Matsuda said.

"No way," Issei took the paper back. "If we hand in the same paper they'll think I'm cheating."

"As opposed to…?" Motohama said.

"What?"

"If you hand in a perfect report suddenly, they'll definitely think you're cheating," Motohama explained. He pushed up his glasses.

"Just because I-"

The bell interrupted their conversation.

"Damn," Motohama cursed. He still had to put away his bike.

They were just in time for their first class: physics.

Issei handed in his report along with the others and then went to his seat and took out his…

Physics book?

With all the commotion last night, he had forgotten his textbook.

"Back to normal huh?" Motohama joked. He shifted his textbook to the middle so both of them could follow.

The teacher started his class.

Strangely, Issei could follow perfectly.

About fifteen minutes in, the teacher asked a question.

Issei slowly raised his hand

"No Issei," his teacher said. "You can't go pee."

"I know the answer," Issei replied. Although he did have to pee actually.

Heads turned in disbelief. He saw two girls from the kendo club gossiping. The same two who had kicked his ass last week for peeking on them. As if it was his fault their bodies were so gorgeous.

"You're joking," the teacher said, dragging his attention back to class.

"No I'm not. The answer is 10.23 m/s."

The teacher narrowed his eyes. "We're only on step two."

"Yes, but that is the final answer."

The teacher checked his book. "You are correct," he said slowly. "You must have checked the answer in your book." Yet he knew that the answer wasn't there. This was a question from a different book so the students shouldn't have the solution. Something was off here.

"Why don't you come up here and show us how you got this answer," his teacher said, determined to find out how Issei had cheated him.

"Uhm, okay." Issei stood up. All eyes were on him now.

He took the crayon the teacher handed him and wrote out the solution of the question.

Strange. Very strange. He had even filled in the formulas without using a calculator. Had he learned this question by heart to show off? But how could he know the teacher was planning to ask this question? Or was he wearing some earpiece and someone was whispering the answer? But then again, his hair wasn't long enough to hide something like that.

His teacher could not detect any means of cheating.

"That looks good," he yielded eventually. "You can sit down again."

Something very strange was going on here.

He decided to continue his class and ask Issei about it afterwards.

"You're acting very strange today," Motohama said. "When you forgot your textbook I thought you had gone back to normal, but this."

"Maybe I awakened some hidden talent," Issei said. "If I didn't know better I would say you are jealous."

Motohama moved his textbook back to his side of the desk.

Issei smiled.

When the class ended, the teacher took Issei aside.

"Just so you know," he said. "If you're cheating, you're only fooling yourself. We'll be keeping an eye on you during the exams. You won't be able to cheat there."

"Thanks, but I'm not cheating," Issei assured him.

"Sure, sure. You were trying to impress the girls, but let me tell you, they already formed a strong opinion about you. Now, off you go."

Unfortunately, his next class was math. While math did seem a little easier than before, he had by no means made the same leap as with physics.

Something had happened. Ever since he had found that dead guy, he had changed. In PE, he suddenly went from place twenty to place sixteen in running. He had never run a lap faster than Matsuda, but now he could suddenly do it. Japanese and English also seemed a bit easier than before.

"Come on Ise," Matsuda said at the end of the day. He dragged Issei with him. Motohama followed him.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Checking whether you're possessed."

He dragged him to the gym.

"The kendo club has training now," Issei said.

"Exactly," Motohama said. He pushed up his glasses.

"Oh, now I get it."

Right now, they should be in the changing room.

They checked whether no one was in sight first and then crouched down near a small hole in the wall. Issei looked first.

"Whoa, jackpot," he whispered. Murayama-chan was just taking off her bra. Seriously, why did you have to take off your bra to play kendo? And why would you wear a pink one with hearts? If he didn't know better, he would say she liked being watched.

He saved the images to his 'gentleman's folder'.

"I think he's back to normal," Motohama whispered.

"I know a lot about physics now," Issei mumbled. "And those breasts are defying gravity."

"Come on," Matsuda said. "My turn." He pushed Issei aside.

"Hey," Issei said, a little too loud.

"Is someone out there?" Katase-chan said.

"Crap," Issei cursed.

"Time to run," Motohama said.

"Agreed," Matsuda finished.

They started running as about half of the kendo club came outside and chased them with their bamboo swords.

Usually, Issei would get his ass kicked at this point because he was the slowest runner, but now he was suddenly faster than Matsuda.

"Hey guys, don't leave me behind," Matsuda pleaded. The girls were getting closer. Obviously, all of them were in much better shape than them. They also had nicer shapes but that wasn't relevant now.

"Sorry bro," Motohama said.

"Take one for the team," Issei added.

"Traitors!"

They heard his howl as they rounded the corner of the old school building.

"Oh fuck." Issei was not in time to avoid a collision with the divine girl who wanted to round the corner from the other side.

The girl fell down and Issei somehow managed to land head first into her impressive chest. Even with his knowledge of physics, he had no idea how this was possible.

He quickly put his hands on the ground and pushed himself up.

Oh my God.

He almost fell back down.

The girl he had bumped against was gorgeous. Long crimson-red hair and blue eyes with a hint of green in them. Even though she had fallen down, her long hair was hardly disheveled. She looked stunned at this sudden development.

"Sorry senpai," Issei said. He quickly stood up.

"Rias Gremory," Motohama said, he pushed his glasses up. "99-58-90."

Issei looked at the beauty. He caught a glimpse of her red panties before she stood up and brushed the dust of her skirt. Her breasts bounced a little because they were so big. How could he have missed a beauty like this attending his school?

"It's okay, Hyoudou-kun," she said, her voice had a melodious undertone. It reminded him of a certain voice actress who voiced in a lot of ecchi-anime.

Motohama looked at him. "How does she know your name?"

"Everyone knows my name," Issei said. "I'm quite famous."

"For peaking into the girl's changing room," Rias-senpai added with a beautiful smile. "Isn't that why you were running away?"

"Uhm, yeah."

"Well, you better continue running then," Senpai advised them. "From the noise I would guess they will be here soon."

"I owe you one, senpai," Issei said as he started running again.

"We'll be more careful in the future, senpai," Motohama added before running after his friend.

Rias smiled. "No you won't."

There was something strange about that boy. His aura seemed vaguely familiar.

Rias walked to the clubroom. It was empty at this hour.

She took out her remaining Evil Pieces. One Pawn, a Knight, a Rook and a Bishop. All were crimson, except for the pawn which was red. It was only a slight difference in color, but it was very significant.

Even among Mutation Pieces, this particular Pawn was exceptional. A normal Mutation Piece came into existence when several identical pieces merged together during the process of creating them. This created a piece with the power of several pieces inside of it. However, her particular piece had merged with her other Pawns  _after_  the creation-process. She could have asked for a replacement since this one piece would only allow her to resurrect one person, but when she saw the slightly different color she became convinced this particular piece was made for her.

At times, she wondered if she had made the right decision. It was very likely she would either never use this piece or waste it on someone who didn't actually need eight pieces to reincarnate. Just how powerful would a person have to be to need all eight Pawns?

_Yet_ , she clutched her Pawn piece closer to her chest.

About one in ten Kings had at least one Mutation Piece. But according to Ajuka, this particular piece was entirely unique, so how could she give it away? This piece  _had_  to be made just for her.

Maybe it was silly. A silly dream to believe there was meaning behind what was obviously random. But still she wanted to hold onto this one silly dream. That this piece was made for her and one day she would find the one it was created for. And then-

"Buchou?" A voice asked.

She looked up. "Oh, Kiba. How are you?"

"I'm well," he said.

"I would like you to do something for me," Rias said. She put her pieces back.

"Anything, my lady."

She smiled. Always the gallant Knight. "I need you to gather information about a boy. Hyoudou Issei."

"Sacred Gear?"

"Maybe, I'm not sure. His aura is strange. And there's a disturbing amount of activity from the Fallen Angels lately. They must be onto something."

"I'll check him out," Kiba promised his King.

"Thanks."

\

\

"Where did you say you were from?" He looked at Issei suspiciously.

"School newspaper," Issei said, he adjusted the hat he had borrowed from his dad.

"Kuoh Academy? What do they have to do with this?"

"Lots of kids go home through that park," Issei said. "The school is concerned with their safety."

"I see."

"So, did you find anything?"

"No," the cop said. He still looked unconvinced. Maybe the brown raincoat and the notebook were a bit overkill after all.

Issei kept silent.

"We still don't know his identity," the young cop finally said. "Nor the cause of death, actually. It looks like he was stabbed multiple times, but we also found burn marks around the wounds."

"Strange."

"Some kid called the cops with his cellphone. From the looks of it, he must have died just moments before so maybe that kid knows more."

"Any luck finding him?"

"We have nothing to go on. Probably someone from your school."

"I'll ask around," Issei promised.

"Thanks."

"Were there no clues in that cellphone?" Issei pressed on.

"Locked. Computer crime is busy with it. We found nothing else, no keys, no wallet, nothing." He rubbed the stubbles on his chin. "There is one strange detail though."

"Hm?"

"I'm actually not allowed to tell you."

"I'll keep it out of the article," Issei promised.

"Even so, secret of the investigation and all."

"The parents are getting worried," Issei said. "If I can write the police is following a lead, they'll be reassured."

"Fine, don't tell anyone this." He looked around, but no one else was coming. "We found a tattoo," he whispered.

"A tattoo?" Issei said, a little too loud.

"Shh," the cop shushed him. "A dragon on his upper arm."

"A red dragon?"

"Yeah, how do you know that?"

"Uhm, just a guess."

"Anyway, I recognised it immediately," the cop said, quite proud of himself. "It's the dragon from the Welsh flag, Ddraig."

"Welsh? Is that a country?"

"Europe," the cop said. "Part of the United Kingdom."

"Interesting."

"He could be from there. He didn't look Asian after all. So we've contacted the police in Wales this morning."

"And?"

"They were very annoyed we called them at that hour."

"In the… oh right." Of course, there was a time difference between Japan and the United Kingdom. If they had called in the morning it should have been the middle of the night over there.

"Anyway, we send them a picture and they promised to look into it. If he's known over there, they'll tell us." He paused. "I have to get back to work now, or the chief will get angry at me."

"Of course. Thanks for the information."

"My pleasure."

Issei left the police station.

Wales. But the guy's Japanese was quite good. Issei had detected no accent. He guessed this particular lead would be a dead end after all.

It was the red dragon that concerned him. He had not seen the tattoo but for some reason he had dreamed about that dragon. Something very strange was going on here.

He looked at his hands. The burning itch was gone since this morning, but it must have been significant. He touched the dead guy and later on dreamed about the very tattoo he had on his upper arm, that couldn't be a coincidence.

He walked through the park, still lost in thoughts.

When he came to the spot, he looked into the bushes.

Everything had been cleaned. There were no signs that anything had ever happened here.

Issei shrugged and continued his walk home.

Someone passed him. A strange guy with a felt hat just like him, only black and a similar raincoat (black as well). Strange looking guy.

Issei arrived home. No one else was home yet so it was easy to put his dad's clothes back where he had found them.

There had been lots of subtle changes in him since yesterday. He had gotten better at all his classes. He could run faster and longer. But there was one particular change that worried him. When he had told the cop he was from the newspaper club, he had believed him. Meaning that for the first time ever, he could tell a lie.

Well, not the first time really, but Issei was a very bad liar before and this lie had gone remarkably smooth. A little too smooth to be a coincidence.

Maybe that was why he was so interested in finding out who the dead guy was. If he could find out how he had received these skills, he might be able to repeat the process. And he knew exactly which skills he wanted then.

Issei looked at the revealing poster of the anime girl on his wall. She was a redhead, just like the gorgeous beauty he had bumped into (literally) this morning. Well, not  _just like_ , she didn't even compare really. Rias Gremory was on a whole other level.

Was there some skill needed to ask her out?

Probably just courage, and that wasn't really a skill.

A skill would be something like turning invisible.

What he could do with a skill like that.

Issei thoughts wandered away in that direction. He never noticed the black-haired girl that was watching his house.


	3. Chapter 3

"Nothing strange," Kiba reported. "Quite low grades, part of the Perverted Trio, not a lot of friends."

"You found nothing?" Rias asked. "Absolutely nothing?"

"Well, actually. Yesterday, he handed in his physics report which was remarkably good. His teacher also said he answered a question perfectly in class. I've spoken to the other teachers and some of them reported slight increases in his skills, but they weren't sure. We'll have to wait for the exams to be certain."

"Sudden increase in academic abilities," Rias pondered. "A Sacred Gear that awakened?"  
"I've never heard of a Sacred Gear like that," Kiba said. "But I guess it's possible."

"And the Fallen Angels?"

"I have no idea what they are planning. They are holed up in some old church."

"Okay. Thank you."

"My pleasure." He bowed and left her.

She wasn't sure what she had expected. There was something off about his aura, but it was silly to hope he had some super special Sacred Gear. She had probably just imagined it. Maybe she wanted it to be true so badly she had deluded herself into thinking he had an aura.

Rias walked to the window and opened it.

She did not spot the person watching her.

"Wow," Issei said.

"Hey, Ise," a voice dragged him away. "Stop looking at your crush and explain this," Matsuda demanded. He held up Issei's physics report.

"Look," Issei took the report. "I was just lucky."

"I would believe you if you had a six or a seven out of ten," Matsuda said. "But not a perfect ten."

"The old school building," Issei said. "Why is she there?"

It was Motohama who replied. "Rias Gremory is the president of the occult Research Club. Their clubroom is in the old school building."

"Strange," Issei said. He looked back at the perfect beauty with her crimson hair flowing in the wind. She looked so dignified. So distant and lofty.

She wasn't looking at him. Instead, she looked in the distance with a sad smile on her face.

Issei could not figure out why and the question kept nagging him. Why was a beauty like that unhappy? Not exactly unhappy, something else. He could not place the emotion and it bothered him way more than it should.

"How big is the Occult Research Club?" He asked.

Motohama pushed up his glasses. "There's Rias-senpai and Akeno-senpai, Koneko-chan and Yuuto-san."

"Hm." Very strange. Akeno-senpai and Rias-senpai were both well known throughout the school for being the favorite subjects of the photography club and the wet dreams of all the boys here. Akeno-senpai had an even bigger chest and even longer hair, but, like Rias-senpai, she remained very distant.

He had heard of Koneko-chan as well. She sat a year lower than him and apparently, lots of guys thought she was cute. Some in a slightly more perverted way than others. Kiba was some hot guy from his year if he remembered well.

"Very strange," Issei repeated the words out loud. "An entire building for only four people."

"Let's go to karaoke tonight," Matsuda suggested, clearly not interested in this mystery.

"I have something to do," Issei said, he looked at the building. "You can go without me."

"You're acting strange lately," Matsuda said.

Issei shrugged.

"I don't think you'll see much," Motohama told him.

"See what?" Matsuda asked, confused.

Motohama slowly pushed up his glasses for no reason. "He means to peek at Rias Gremory."  
Matsuda turned pale. "Are you insane? She'll kill you."

Issei said nothing.

"He's right," Motohama added. "The kendo-club is one thing, but if you peek at her, you'll be chased out by both girls and guys. If they don't expel you first. That girl has connections with the board."

"Of course," Issei said, a strange confidence in his voice. "If she didn't, they would never get an entire building. But if you're too scared you can leave."

"You're insane," Matsuda said. "Come on, Motohama. Let's go watch some safe girls. I still have to watch Kaben Rider Pinky."

"But I already watched it," Motohama protested as both of them took off.

Issei let out his breath. His heart was beating very fast.

He wasn't actually planning to peek at her of course. Not that he would see much anyway. This was the Occult Research Club, not the swimming club. Ort the strip club.

Did they have a strip club?

Maybe he should start one.

Anyway, whatever Rias-senpai was doing in there, she was probably doing it dressed. Unless some crazy ritual involved nudity. Weren't there some types of witchcraft where people danced around naked?

He tried not to let his thoughts wander of too much.

What Motohama had said had piqued his interest. An entire school building for just four people, there had to be more going on here.

But that was not his main focus. He was planning something else entirely. The  _Occult_  Research Club. That could come in handy.

Issei let out his breath and pushed open the door.

From the window he had seen her, he guessed they were on the second floor so he took the stairs up. Once there, he quickly found the right door (it was neatly labeled 'ORC'). Sounds were coming from behind it. Was that…

Rain?

That was impossible. Was someone taking a shower in there?

His throat felt dry. Maybe he should turn back.

_No_ , he steeled himself. There was only one person who could help him.

Issei raised his hand and knocked.

The sound stopped.

Someone opened the door.

"Hello," she said.

It was a girl with a very impressive chest. Issei's eyes were immediately glued to it, although in the back he detected purple eyes and black hair as well.

"Uhum," Issei cleared his throat. "Is this the Occult Research Club?" He asked.

"Yeah," she confirmed.

"I would like to speak to your president, Rias Gremory," he said. His voice was trembling a bit.

"It's not really the right time now," Akeno-senpai said. "She's uhm."

"Let him in," a voice behind her said.

"But, Buchou?"

"You heard me," Rias-senpai repeated.

"Uhm," Akeno-senpai stepped aside. "Come on in then."  
He entered the room.

The first thing that drawed his attention was a couch right in front of him. It was dark green, but the only reason it grabbed his attention was because a uniform was neatly draped over it. Rias' uniform he guessed. A towel was next to it.

A second couch had been put on the other side with a coffee table between it. To the right of that was a large desk with a chair behind it. From the red/gold design Issei guessed the president sat there.

Something was put up just right from the door, next to the desk. It was some kind of wooden cabin built in the corner with a green curtain matching the couches closing it off.

A shower? Inside of the clubroom? How utterly strange. Did they need that for rituals?

"Have a seat," Akeno-senpai said.

"Would you mind handing me my clothes?" Rias' voice asked from behind the curtain.

Akeno said nothing and just picked up the pile of clothes and the towel.

Too bad she asked Akeno-senpai. Issei would have loved to give clothes to a fully nude Rias-senpai.

But as Akeno-senpai had already picked them up, he had lost his window of opportunity.

Issei sat down. In the middle of the coffee table was an old chandelier with three burning candles. Other than the windows opposite of him, that was the only source of light. He saw a table in the other corner next to the desk with more candles. This was the Occult Research Club after all.

He heard Rias-senpai drying off and getting dressed.

She must have undressed right here. And he had caught a glimpse of some purple/black underwear before Akeno-senpai took away the clothes. If he had arrived a bit earlier he could have seen some  _very_  interesting sights.

But he was not here to peek.

Although…

"Uhum," Akeno-senpai cleared her throat. "Would you like some tea?" Her voice was strained. She was only doing this because Rias-senpai had told her.

This club looked more and more like a cover up for something else. But then again, the Occult Club most likely had very little visitors and if they had, it would be weirdos or perverts. Technically he classified under 'perverts' so her attitude was not strange.

"No thanks," Issei said. He was a bit thirsty but this girl looked like she would poison him for just breathing.

Rias arrived two nerve-wracking minutes later. She sat down opposite of him. Fully dressed, obviously. Too bad.

"So," she said. "What brings you here?"

"Well," Issei said. "This is the Occult Research Club, isn't it?"

"Yes," the redheaded beauty confirmed politely.

"Well, I have something that needs supernatural explanations."

"Sudden academic increases?" Rias-senpai asked.

"Uhm, yeah. Exactly. How do you know that?"

She smiled. "We are the Occult Research Club after all," she explained. "I noticed a strange aura the other day so I took the liberty of investigating."

"I just got back my physics report," Issei said, he took out the paper. "A perfect ten. I never had anything like that before. Usually I'm lucky to even pass. You have no idea how hard I had to study to get into this school."

"You must have been very motivated," she said as she took his physics report.

"Uhm, yeah." He probably should not mention he had picked this school because it had the highest girls to boys ratio.

"This does indeed look very good," she said. "But one test is not enough to conclude supernatural events. Maybe you were just lucky."

"There is something else," Issei said. "You heard of the dead guy in the park?"

"Yeah."  
"I found him. And before that I saw a white shadow fleeing. When I went home, his blood kept burning in my palms even after I had washed it away. And then, suddenly, I got smarter, faster and stronger. Look, maybe I just have a good day or something, but I can't help but feel like there is some connection. And according to the cop I interviewed they found burn marks around the wounds. Whatever killed that guy, I don't think it was human." He probably shouldn't tell her all this.  
She did not laugh at his crazy tale.

"So you've decided to come to the Occult Research Club?" She asked.

"This is what you do, right? Explain things that reason can't explain?"

She paused for a moment. "You called the cops but then you went away," she said eventually. "Why?"

"Well," Issei said. "I had stuff to do. They wouldn't have believed me anyway."

"And they found only one set of fingerprints," she said. "So you might have been a suspect."

"So you believe me?" He did not ask how she knew about the fingerprints.

"I don't think you have a reason to lie," she said.

"Unless he wants to get close to you," Akeno-senpai butted in.

"He looks like a very honest boy," Rias-senpai retorted.

Was that a compliment?

It sounded a bit belittling.

"So, will you help me?" Issei asked.

"It does sound strange enough. I'll see what I can do. Give me a few days."

"Okay. Thanks a lot." He stood up. He had taken up enough of their time.

"Don't mention it," Rias-senpai said, she stood up as well. "One more thing." She threw a glance at Akeno-senpai.

Then, something very unexpected happened.

She grabbed his arm and softly dragged him outside. Rias-senpai closed the door behind her so Akeno-senpai could not hear.

"Listen to me very carefully," she said. "You might be in great danger."

"Senpai?"

She shushed him. "Listen to me." She took out a piece of paper the size of a playing card. "This side is for emergencies only, nothing else, you hear me?"

"Uhm, okay."

"The other side is to keep me up to date. Only if more weird things happen, understood?"

He swallowed hard. "Understood."

She hesitated a second longer and then handed him the card.

Without saying another word she went back inside and closed the door.

He looked at the card. The first side ('for emergencies only') showed a drawing of a circle with… he narrowed his eyes. A rose? Well, in any case, some kind of flower inside of a complicated circle pattern with runes on it. The bottom and top proudly proclaimed 'we grant your wish'. More roses lined the words.

Issei turned it around.

His heart skipped several beats.

That was…

Yep. Not a doubt about it. Her cellphone number.

It wasn't so much of a crush, Issei thought as he took the stairs back down. More like he admired her from a distance. And he sensed that it would be near impossible to close this distance.

But the smile kept bothering him. The sad smile on her face as she looked out of the window. What did it mean?

Was she unhappy? She seemed fine just now. Could that be just an act?

Issei sighed. He was reading too much in it probably. If there was some supernatural explanation for the recent events, she would find it, that was it. There was nothing else going on. He should count himself lucky he had even gotten the chance to talk to her. And of course, fall face-first into her chest.

Such softness…

"Uhm."  
"Huh?" Issei looked up. He had arrived near the bridge by now, all the while thinking about Rias Gremory. And somehow, a cute girl had found her way right in front of him.

She wore a uniform from a school he did not recognise. Something with red and green. It didn't come close to the design of his academy, but then again, nothing could ever hope to match that. Still, she pulled it off nicely. Her chest filled out the uniform nicely. He saw some strain on the top buttons.

Her hair was black and her eyes purple. A permanent blush was on her face as she fumbled with her bag.

"You're Hyoudou Issei-kun, aren't you? From Kuoh Academy?"

"Uhm, yeah," Issei confirmed. How did she know that? Sure he was famous, well,  _infamous,_ at his school, but not outside of it.

"I… uhm, are you seeing anyone at the moment?" She asked. Her eyes looked at the ground.

"Not really," Issei said.

"Would you… mind going out with me?"

"Huh?"

"I always see you passing here and well… please go out with me."

What the…

A confession? From such a cute girl?

He almost said yes, but then something made him reconsider.

"Do you mind if I think about it? It's a bit sudden."

"Oh." She was a bit taken back. Clearly she had not expected this. "Sure, I'll just…" She opened her bag in took out her notebook and a pen. She wrote down her number. Then, she ripped it off and handed it to him.

Two numbers in one day, he was on a roll.

"Give me a call, Hyoudou-kun," she said. She suddenly appeared much more confident.

"I will," he promised.

"I have to go now. I guess I'll see you around."  
Yeah, Issei smiled at her. But something nagged inside of him.

She walked on, a bit too fast.

Issei let out his breath. The old Issei would have definitely fallen for that. He would have agreed without thinking. Without realising that certain things didn't make sense.

First of all, if a hot girl like that passed by here, he would have noticed it. There's no way his perverted eyes would have missed a beauty like that. Especially one with such a nice chest.

This bridge left little room for people to spot him without him noticing. Yet he had never seen that girl before. So what was up with that?

Secondly, no one would ever confess to a random boy like that. Even if she thought he was hot, she wouldn't just walk up to him and confess. At the very least she would have talked a bit longer. He was a stranger after all.

And thirdly, her timing was a bit too suspicious. Strange things started happening with the dead guy and all and then a random girl he had never seen before showed up and told him she wanted to date him? That was just a little too coincidental.

Besides, the timing did not match at all. She said she saw him walking home, but today he had gone home later than usual as he had gone to the ORC first. So did she just stand around and wait? All by herself? Just to confess this particular day when she could have picked literally any day? That didn't make any sense. What was special about today?

And of course, most importantly. When he mentioned he wanted to think about it, which wasn't strange at all, she was completely taken off balance. Her shyness had vanished for a moment which led him to believe it was acted.

She had done her research well and concluded he would easily fall for her trap. And she would have been right. But he had gotten a bit smarter lately.

Issei picked up his phone and dialed a number. He at least had to confirm this.

"Rias-senpai?"

"Already abusing it?" She sighed. "I knew I made a mistake by giving you my number."

"What are you talking about?" Issei said. "A random girl I've never seen before just confessed to me. Thought you would want to know."

"What? What's her name?"

"Uhm…" he checked the note. "Amano Yuuma." Yuuma? That was a nice name.

"Could you describe her uniform for me?"

"Red blazer with a P on it, green skirt. Her breasts were-"

"That's quite enough," she cut him off. "I'll call you back." She hung up without waiting for a reply.

He continued walking home. Maybe he was being paranoid after all.

Why had he rejected such a cute girl?

Stupid. So incredibly stupid.

He should call her right now and say he would love to go out with her.

He had waited his entire life for a chance like this and now he was wasting it based upon some strange coincidences.

Just as he announced he was home his phone went.

Issei picked up. "Senpai, give me a second."

He went outside of the living room and took the stairs up. In the back, he heard his parents discussing about who this 'senpai' was.

"Yeah?" He said when he closed the door to his room.

"Like I thought, Amano Yuuma does not exist."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm staring at the files right now. She does not go to the school that matches her uniform."

So he was right. Something did not make sense. "Maybe…" He tried finding an explanation that make sense, but he found nothing. Why would she make up a fake name?

"Seems like I'm not the only one checking you out," senpai said. "But I can't figure out why."

"You mean I'm not that special?"

"I wasn't going to phrase it quite like that, but yeah. It's strange, not dangerous. It's not like you started spitting fire or something."

"That would be very cool though."

"True. Look, I'll send someone to watch your house for tonight. Meet me tomorrow before school at the clubroom."

"Okay. What do I do if something happens?"

"Use the card."

"How?"

"Just imagine me."

"You mean like, with clothes on?"

She chuckled. "Whatever works best for you."

"So, without clothes then?"

"Goodnight, Hyoudou-kun."

She hung up.

"Goodnight, Rias-senpai," he said, although she obviously could not hear him.

Yeah. No way he could ever hope close the distance between the two of them.


	4. Chapter 4

Issei knocked on the door. There was no reply.

Strange. She had specifically asked to meet him before school, right? Or had he just dreamed that?

It did sound a little too good to be true. Why would this beauty want to see him? Like she had said, he wasn't that special.

Issei knocked again.

Again, there was no reply.

Hesitantly, he turned the doorknob and pushed. The door wasn't locked.

The room was lit with candles and morning light. He started to doubt whether they ever used the actual lights. He didn't even see a switch to turn them on.

Rias-senpai was in the room, but she was not capable of replying as she was fast asleep.

Issei slowly approached her.

Her desk was filled with books in every possible color. Most were large books with easily over a thousand pages, not the kind Issei would read. Most likely they didn't have any interesting drawings of female characters either.

The books were arranged in stacks, some of which seemed quite unstable.

A few books were opened and on one of those, Rias-senpai had put her head down.

She was still dressed in her uniform although she had removed the shoulder cape and blazer.

_Now would be a really great time to touch her boobs, actually_ , Issei thought. She hadn't even woken up when he knocked on the door.

He pushed away the thought.

Rias-senpai was a real beauty. A pair of glasses had been put up like a diadem, but one strand of hair had escaped those confines and hung loose in front of her mouth. Whenever she breathed, the strand would swing back and forth. It was incredibly cute.

He did not want to wake her, but he couldn't let her sleep either. At this rate, she would miss her first class.

He enjoyed the beautiful sight a moment longer.

Maybe he should take a picture? Or was that too creepy?

Yeah, probably too creepy.

Besides, his memory would never forget this image so he did not need one.

"Senpai?" Issei softly put his hand on her shoulder and shook her awake.

"Huh?" She looked up. "Hyoudou-kun?" She seemed surprised, as if they hadn't agreed to meet now.

"Good morning," Issei said.

"Morning already?" She looked around. Her hair was quite disheveled.

Senpai yawned and stretched out.

Issei took the opportunity to check out her marvelous breasts. She caught him staring.

"Sorry," he said, quickly avoiding her eyes.

"Don't bother," she said. "You can look all you want."

She stood up and put her glasses on the desk.

Meanwhile, Issei was still processing what she had just said.

Rias-senpai walked to the couch and started unbuttoning her blouse.

"Senpai?"

"I'm gonna take a shower, if you don't mind."  
"Uhm well…" The answer he was looking for was 'no, I don't mind at all'. Quite the contrary in fact.

Her blouse fell on the ground.

Issei swallowed hard. Was she really planning to undress right in front of him?

"Say, senpai? Do you live here?"

"Something like that," she said dismissive. She unzipped her skirt.

He looked at the books. Had she searched all night? Wouldn't her parents be worried?

"Found anything?"

"Nothing." She put her skirt and blouse on the couch.

"Too bad." Issei could not stop staring at her underwear. Her bra was black with half-circles of lace on the top edge. They showed a flower with three leaves. A rose? He wasn't certain about that.

In the middle was a neat little string tied in a double loop. It was purple.

Her panties were matching with the same string and the same lace pattern on top.  
"We'll figure it out, Hyoudou-kun, don't worry."

Issei could not reply as her hands were now moving back to unhook her bra.

He didn't have to peek on her, she just stripped in front of him.

"Normally I can't sleep unless I take off all my clothes," Rias-senpai said. "So I must have been really tired."

Her bra slid off her shoulders. Issei could not see her breasts because she had turned and walked to the shower before it slid down.

She must be doing it on purpose.

Rias-senpai threw down her bra near the curtain and slid down her panties.

Her hair covered her complete back and the majority of her butt, so once again, Issei didn't see much.

Senpai pulled back the curtain and got into the shower.

He heard it turn on (no pun intended).

Issei stood there for several seconds. He hadn't seen a lot since she stood with her back to him, but just as she had gone into the shower, he had caught a glimpse of her marvelous breasts.

He walked to the books and picked up a random one.

It was written in some kind of language he could not read as he had already guessed before.

But when he looked more closely, he did recognise the symbols.

It were the same ones that were displayed on the card in his pocket.

"I should probably get to class," Issei said. He wanted to stay and get a better look at her breasts, but the truth was, he was too scared to do so.

Rias-senpai had stopped talking. She didn't seem to care what he did.

Issei walked to the door.

He stopped just in front of it. His eyes wandered away to the curtain.

It would be so easy to peek. She was standing right there, completely naked. All he had to do was…

_No_ , bad idea. He really would get himself killed at this rate. Rias-senpai may have undressed in front of him, but she was probably just testing him. After all, she had turned her back on him at the most important moment.

She was probably just waiting for an opportunity to throw him out. To confirm what she already knew: he was a pervert.

He had gotten her number and she had specifically stated it was only to report strange events. He could not betray her trust now. He should count himself lucky she even trusted him in the first place.

And she had searched all night for an explanation. He had given her a few strange coincidences and for him, she had searched all night. She had already said it, he wasn't special at all. A normal person would have said he was paranoid and stupid for rejecting Yuuma-chan. But Rias-senpai had believed him immediately.

He should thank her properly, but he didn't know how.

Not peeking on her seemed like a good started.

Issei went outside before he could change his mind.

He let out his breath.

Maybe he should go peek on someone safer.

A plan was forming in his mind.

Was there still enough time left?

Issei looked for his comrades and explained his plan. Motohama was hesitant, but Matsuda convinced him.

The three of them sneaked into the girl's changing room.

Issei wrote 'don't use' on a note and taped it on a locker. He made a second note for the locker next to it.

Just then, they heard noises.

Issei quickly jumped into the locker and closed it. Matsuda and Motohama did the same with the other one.

He looked through the small ventilation cracks.

Apparently, their juniors had PE now. He had not checked the schedule so he didn't know that. But he started to suspect lolicon Matsuda knew exactly who had PE at this point.

The girls changed into their PE-uniform.

Issei spotted a white-haired girl with a cat-pin in her hair. Koneko-chan.

He shouldn't be watching this. Well, he shouldn't peek on girls in general, but these girls were just a little too young for his taste.

Not that he was in a position to leave now.

He looked at Koneko-chan. Her panties were white with pink stripes.

Beside him, he heard heavy breathing.

_Control yourself, Matsuda_. At this rate they would be exposed.

Just as he was thinking such things, Koneko-chan turned straight at him.

Did she know?

The question was answered by her fist.

Issei was just in time to dodge. A large Koneko-fist shaped dent showed in the locker now.

Seemingly without effort, she pulled out the steel door and threw it on the ground..

What the hell?

The entire class stared at him.

"Uhm. I was trying to repair this locker?"

Yeah, he should probably run now.

"It was their idea," Issei quickly pointed to the locker next to him.

He had to push a young girl aside to get out.

Behind him he heard screams ranging from 'pervert' to 'enemy of all women'.

Good that his speed has increased a bit lately. And that his two comrades were still there.

It would have been worth it if he had at least seen some breasts. Even if it were the little loli-tits of Koneko-chan.

He hid himself in the boy's bathroom. He wasn't certain if they had followed him, but better safe than sorry.

When he was certain things had cooled down, he came out.

He saw Matsuda and Motohama again in class. Both had some bruises in their face and Motohama's glasses had bent out of shape so they stood permanently skewed.

"You left us behind," Matsuda complained.

"What was I supposed to do? That freak punched through plate steel with her fist."

"Not to mention my glasses," Motohama added.

This was actually rather funny because Issei had wanted to peek on 'safer girls'. He really should have peeked on Rias-senpai instead. Then he would have seen some large breasts at least.

Their little locker-adventure was about the only eventful thing that happened the entire school day.

He did not see Rias-senpai or Koneko-chan again. Although he did have the strange feeling that someone was following him and during class he saw Kiba stealing glances at him. Clearly, Rias-senpai was keeping her word and kept an eye on him just in case.

He did not meet 'Amano Yuuma' again on his way home (he deliberately followed a different route today). Issei wasn't sure what to say to her. Maybe there was a perfectly normal explanation for her fake name and he had actually rejected a super cute girl.

When he was almost home, he saw someone coming towards him in the distance. A young girl in a nun outfit.

A strong wind blowed past. Her veil was pulled away. The girl ran after it, but she tripped over her way too long skirt and fell down.

Issei's 'damsel in distress'-mode kicked in. The wind was blowing the veil in his direction, so it was easy to grab it.

He approached the girl. "Are you okay?" He held out his free hand.

She looked very confused which made her even cuter than she already was.

Of course, he would have helped her if she wasn't a beautiful blonde haired girl with innocent green eyes. Maybe his help would have come a little slower though.

The girl had broken her fall with her hands and a sharp stone had made her right hand bleed.

Even though she could not understand his words, she understood the meaning of his hand and took it.

He helped her up.

" _Thanks_ ," she said. She spoke in English with an accent he couldn't place.

Issei discreetly wiped his hand clean on his pants. Some blood had gotten on his hand.

Why did it… burn so much?

This was the exact same feeling as last time.

He looked at his hand.

There was nothing to see, but he could feel it.

" _Is there a problem_?" She asked. Her English wasn't very good.

" _Not at all_ ," Issei said, his English was even worse. He handed her the veil back. " _Are you Italian by any chance_?" He suddenly asked.

" _Uhm, yes._ "

He was starting to get what was going on here.

" _You look like you could use some help_ ," Issei said in perfect Italian.

" _You speak Italian?_ " The girl's green eyes widened.

Apparently. He was certain he could not speak Italian before… before touching her hand.

There had to be a connection. He had touched the dead guy and had somehow received his knowledge and skills. Issei had concluded that much. The guy must have been good at physics. And now that he had touched the girl he had copied her knowledge about Italian somehow.

But it couldn't be simple touch. Then he would have taken much more things from many more people.

Was it the blood? It had to be. What else could it be?

" _I'm so glad I came across you_ ," the girl said. " _I'm a little bit lost_."

" _What are you looking for_?"

" _Well, the church_."

Oh. Yeah, that made sense.

" _I'll walk you there_ ," Issei offered.

"Thanks.  _I'm Asia by the way. Asia Argento._ "

" _I'm Issei. Hyoudou Issei._ "

She did not reply. She only fidgeted with her skirt.

A very shy girl apparently. She was lucky she had run into him.

" _You can call me Ise,_ " he said.

" _Oh_ ," she visible relaxed. " _Okay, uhm, Ise-san_."

The church wasn't far from his home. After only a few minutes they reached it.

" _Thanks a lot_ ," Asia said. " _I would have never found it without you._ "

Through the window, Issei spotted someone. Someone very familiar.

Amano Yuuma.

" _Ise-san? Is something wrong_?" She asked.

" _No, I just realised I have something to do_."

" _You won't come in_?" Asia asked.

" _Sorry, I have to go now. I'm late already_."

" _Sorry for holding you up, Ise-san_."

" _It's okay. It was well worth it. See you around, Asia-chan_."

" _Yeah, see you around, Ise-san._ "

He went back home.

Rias-senpai would be very interested in this.

He took out his phone and dialed her number. He had already learned it by heart.

"I have some news. Lots of it actually."

"I'll come over to your house then."

"Uhm, okay." He did not ask how she knew where he lived.

Strangely, when he arrived home, she was already waiting for him in front of the house.

"How did you do that?" He asked.

"I was in the neighborhood," she explained.

It would have to be the very close neighborhood since the church was only a few minutes away.

"Let's go in then. I should probably warn you. My parents are… well, you know, parents."

"Embarrassing?"

"Something like that." He opened the door and took of his shoes.

"If you think your parents are embarrassing you've never met mine clearly." She followed his example.

"Are Scandinavian parents so different?"

"They aren't exactly Scandinavian," Rias-senpai said dismissively. She clearly didn't want to talk about it.

Issie did not press on. He opened the door to the living room.

"I'm home," he announced.

"Welcome…" his dad's voice trailed off when he saw Rias Gremory.

"This is a friend of mine," Issei said.

"Dear," his dad called not taking his eyes of Rias-senpai. "Issei has a girlfriend."

His mom came out of the kitchen. "Oh my."

"Like I said," Issei mumbled.

"I'm not his girlfriend," Rias-senpai clarified.

"Maybe we'll have grandkids after all," his dad said, clearly not listening.

"Come on," Issei said. They looked like they would go on like this for quite a while.

"You've got lively parents," senpai said as she followed him to the hall.

"That's putting it nicely," Issei replied. He took the stairs up.

"This is my room. Don't mind the posters."

He went inside.

Rias followed him. Obviously, her eyes went to the posters first. They all displayed the same character. A cute girl with autumn-red hair and a reasonably big chest. They were pretty modest but she guessed he had other posters he did not show visitors.

She sat down on his bed. "So, did you find anything?"

"Yes." Issei sat down on his desk chair. "Two things. I helped up a girl who had fallen down. She was bleeding a bit and when the blood touched me I could suddenly speak Italian."

"Was the girl Italian by any chance?"

"Yes. I think that I somehow took up her knowledge by touching her blood."

"Like you did with the knowledge of the dead guy."

"Exactly."

"That is interesting. Transfer of knowledge by blood. Never heard of that, but I'll look into it. What's the other thing?"

"I saw Yuuma-chan at the church."

"The church? What were you doing there?" Her voice sounded a bit accusatory.

"Well, I helped that girl get there. She was a sister."

"You should not go there," senpai warned him. "It's dangerous." If the Fallen Angels spotted him… Transfer of knowledge could be a dangerous skill if used well. He would be deemed a threat.

"I thought Yuuma-chan was just trying to observe me?" Issei said.

"That was before I knew what she was." She really should have realised sooner. Of course Yuuma-chan was a Fallen Angel. What else could she be? Especially now that they had spotted some Fallen Angels in the area.

"What is she then?" Issei asked.

"Uhm. I can't tell you, actually."

"I see."

"Issei, I uhm-"

"Could you leave?"

She blinked several times. "What?"

"I've told you everything I know. I've been completely honest and open with you. But you haven't done the same, have you?"

"I…" she had no answer to that.

"You know exactly who Yuuma-chan is, but you're not telling me. How do I even know I can trust you? For all I know you could be lying to me as well. Maybe your name is fake too."

Rias hesitated a moment. "You're right," she said eventually. "You have no reason to trust me. And I've been hiding a lot of things from you."

"I'm really sorry, but I just don't know who I can trust anymore," Issei explained.

"I understand," she smiled sadly. "I'll take my leave then."

"Senpai," his words stopped her. He had finally realised which emotion was hiding behind that sad smile.

"It's okay, Ise," she said. "I understand."

Before he could stop her she had left his room.

He ran and opened his door, but she was already gone by then.

"Damn," Issei mumbled.

Issei laid back on his bed.

Stupid.

Why was he rejecting all these hot girls?

He should have realised much sooner. From the very first second actually. The emotion within her was so obvious.

Loneliness.


	5. Chapter 5

Issei kicked the small rock. It bounced several times and then stopped against a wall.

He should be doing fun things on a Saturday afternoon. Karaoke, bowling, watching anime,... anything really. But no, he was just walking through town without a clear goal in mind.

He felt bad about sending Rias-senpai away. Sure, she may have hidden some things from him, but it was very likely she wasn't even allowed to tell him the truth.

The signs were there after all.

Rias-senpai had access to police files without any trouble. She had connections with the school which had allowed her to get an entire building for just four people. She had installed a shower in the clubroom. She dismissed questions about her family or where she lived. She knew where his house was and was already there just minutes after he called. She could read books in a language that didn't even exist according to his knowledge. She had given him a card with weird symbols which could apparently help him just by imagining her.

Really, all the signs were there. Rias could not be a normal human. These things could only be explained by the supernatural. The only real question was  _what_  she was exactly.

And it wasn't just Rias-senpai. Koneko-chan had punched through a solid steel door without breaking a sweat.

His initial thought had been correct. That club was a cover-up for something else. And obviously, they could not tell normal humans about it.

But was he really normal? Normal people did not speak fluent Italian after touching a nun's blood after all.

He had to learn more about this power. From what he had seen until now, it seemed to activate when touching someone's blood. But what happened specifically? Clearly, he had taken knowledge from Asia, but only a tiny fraction. He didn't even know her name until she told him so clearly he had not taken her actual memories. From the dead guy he had taken knowledge about physics and a little mathematics and English, but there had also been physical changes in his running speed and stamina.

Actually, 'taken' was not the correct term. Asia still spoke Italian, so he had only 'copied' her knowledge.

Ideally he would be performing experiments to find out how this strange power worked and if it worked at all. But obviously, he couldn't go around and ask people if he could touch their blood.

Besides, what did it even matter? He had screwed up with senpai and whatever Yuuma-chan was, he couldn't call her now could he? What was he supposed to say?

"Ise-san?"

Issei looked up. "Asia?"

She flashed a radiant smile. "I'm so glad I meet you here."

"What are you doing here?" He could ask himself the same thing actually.

"I uhm… I had a day off so I wanted to see the city."

"Oh. Shall I show you around?" Issei offered.

"Are you sure you're not busy with something?"

"I always have time for you, Asia-chan."

She blushed deep red and stammered a response.

"Come on," Issei said. "Let's have some fun."

He took her hand and semi-dragged her into the city.

"You should really see the…"  
"The what?"

" _Arcade_."

Strange. He did not know the Italian for arcade. Seems like he hadn't taken all her language skills. Or she just didn't know the word.

"What's an arcade?" Asia asked.

"You'll see," Issei said.

He guided her through the city.

"Wow." Asia's beautiful eyes widened.

"You've never been to one before?" Issei asked.

She shook her head.

Luckily, Issei could compensate for her using his extensive knowledge.

He knew the floorplan of this arcade by heart as he had visited it frequently with Matsuda and Motohama.

Still, she somehow managed to beat him in a racing game even though he was better than both Matsuda and Motohama at that particular game.

"How did you do that?" Issei asked.

"Just lucky I guess," Asia said.

She stood up and then suddenly ran towards something.

"You like Racchu-kun?" Issei asked. He looked at the claw crane game.

"No, I uhm, well."

"I'll take that as a yes," Issei said. He operated the claw.

With his experience he managed to get it on the first try.

"Here you go," he said. He handed her the black and yellow striped rat-like figure.

Asia blushed bright red. "Thanks a lot."

"A little memento of our first… uhm, hangout?" He wanted to say 'date' but maybe that wasn't the right word.

"I'll always treasure this gift of yours," Asia said.

He didn't know what to reply to something so formal. It really wasn't a big deal, but to Asia it seemed to mean a lot.

"Where shall we go now?" She asked.

A noise interrupted them.

Issei looked. Two people were arguing. One of them was a tall muscled guy about his age he did not recognise and the other a small girl. Did she go to his school? She seemed familiar to him.

The girl had two long ponytails with green clips and striped green stockings. He was certain he had seen her before somewhere.

Everyone kept their distance from the argument which was quickly getting out of hand.

Issei walked up to them.

"What's going here?" He asked.

"Mind your own business," the tall guy barked. From his leather jacket Issei guessed this was some kind of delinquent.

"Look, whatever happened-"

Whatever happened next wasn't exactly clear. One moment he was talking, and the next, he was stumbling back against a shooter game. The taste of blood filled his mouth.

The guy had tried to hit him. Issei had reflexively stepped sideways and his fist had grazed past his face. In the process his lower lip had gone past his teeth and started bleeding. At least that is what Issei thought had happened. It had all gone a little fast.

In the distance, he heard Asia yelling his name.

The guy approached him, cracking his knuckles on the way. The people around them retreated even further, clearly not keen on interfering with this fight.

Issei took the gun from the game and swung it at the man. He hit him square in the face.

The delinquent retreated two steps. Blood was spurting from his nose. Issei guessed he had broken it.

He could not really go anywhere as his only weapon had a wire connecting it to the game. And that wire did not extend that far.

This would not end well.

"You little-"

"That's quite enough," a new voice said. A tall, skinny man with a beard appeared. He was much older than both fighters, maybe thirty or something.

Everyone hastily made way for him.

"Mind you own busi-" the delinquent didn't get further than that. The skinny man grabbed him and twisted his arm on his back. As the delinquent screamed in pain, the skinny man pushed him towards the door and threw him out.

Issei put the gun back where it belonged.

The next moment he was embraced by Asia-chan.

"Are you okay, Ise-san?" She asked.

"I'm fine." He looked around. The little girl had vanished.

The skinny man returned.

"You okay, Ise?" He asked.

"Yeah, thanks for saving me."

"Don't mention it. You're one of my best customers."

Issei smiled, but it hurt so he quickly stopped. The man left them alone.

"You know him?" Asia asked.

"Yeah, he's the owner: Rodrigo. Black belt judo or karate, not sure which one."

"You're bleeding," Asia said, worry in her voice.

"It's really not a big deal." He wiped away the blood from his lip.

"I can fix it," she offered.

"How do you mean?"

How did you fix that? In the past, his mom always gave a kiss on his wounds and that helped.

Was Asia planning to kiss him?

His thoughts went of on that tangent as Asia took his hand and guided him outside.

"Let's see," Asia said. She had more light here than in the arcade.

The sister studied his lip for a moment and then raised her hands. A silver ring appeared on the middle finger of either hand. The next moment, a green aura was emitted from her hands and his pain faded away.

"How…"

"It's called Twilight Healing," Asia explained. "I was born with it."  
"You're a Holy Maiden?" Issei asked. He was unsure how he even knew what that was.

"I was. Until I healed a certain person." She suddenly looked sad.

"Sorry for bringing it up," Issei said.

"It's okay. I just don't want to talk about that now. Today you made me forget about all my problems, so let's keep it that way, just for one day."  
Problems?

Asia-chan seemed such a cheerful person so he had never imagined she might have problems. But then again, everyone had their own troubles, right?

"I'm getting hungry actually," Issei said, unsubtly changing the subject. "How about you?"

"Me as well," Asia-chan said.

"Let's get something to eat then, shall we? What do you like?"

"Well I like uhm… you." She mumbled the last word.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"Uhm. Well, I've never been to this town, or this country, or, you know, continent."

Technically Europe was on the same continent as Asia of course, but there was no need to point that out to her.

Issei smiled. "Good point. But still, some things are the same everywhere. I know a place where they have nice hamburgers."

"Ham-burgers?" She cocked her head to the side.

"Don't tell me you've never heard of hamburgers?"

"Uhm, well, you know, I uhm…"

He had suspected she had lived quite a sheltered life, but this was beyond his expectations. What girl had never even heard of hamburgers before?

Obviously, Issei had to rectify this situation immediately.

He took her to one of his favorite places. Her eyes sparkled when she bit from her hamburger.

"This is delicious," she proclaimed.

"I can't believe you never ate a hamburger."

She did not reply. Either she was too embarrassed, or she was just immersed in this new food-item.

They finished their meal in silence.

All too soon, they were outside again.

The sun was already setting.

"This is only for today, isn't it?" Issei asked. His voice was suddenly sad.

"I hoped you wouldn't have noticed that," Asia replied.

"You said it was your day off, but that wasn't true. You would know what a hamburger was if you ever had a day off. You searched for me, didn't you?"

"I didn't actually believe I would meet you," Asia-chan said. "But I guess fate brought us together again. Or maybe my prayers were answered."

"How much time do we have left?"

"Not long."

"I still want to show you one thing."

"Okay."

He held out his hand and she took it with a little smile. She clutched her plush toy closer to her chest with the other.

Issei guided her through the crowd to a little park.

It was just a pond with stone pillars around it and benches arranged in a circle. The sun reflected on the still water.

Asia said nothing. She just kept standing next to him.

They were still holding hands even though there was no need to.

"You know, I feel like I changed over the last days," Issei said.

"How so?" Asia asked. "Is it because of me?"  
"No, I don't think it is. It's just. I think a lot more about… well, everything really."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No, I don't think it is. It's just… new."

"And you're concerned?" Asia asked.

"Yeah, exactly. Like, what if I become someone else? I didn't think a lot about complicated things before and that was who I was, but if I think about them now, then I'm a different person, right?"

"I guess," Asia said. "But that's not a bad thing, right?"

"I guess."

There was a short silence.

"Thank you for taking me to this place," Asia said. "It's beautiful."

_Not as beautiful as you._

He should tell her. Or was that too cheesy?

Yeah, definitely too cheesy.

But in a different way he wanted to tell her the same thing.

Today had been a fun day and he liked talking to Asia-chan a lot.

Were they friends?

He definitely wanted to be friends with her (maybe even more than that), but he was not sure how to-

"Seems like our blissful day is over," Asia said as she looked at the pitch black aura in the middle of the water.

A bright flash and the next moment, someone floated on the surface.

It was a girl in a very skimpy black outfit.

Knee-high black boots and thigh-socks, some kind of thong with three straps, arm-long leather gloves with chains on them, pauldrons with spikes, a black bikini top that showed her protruding nipples and an iron ring held in a complicated leather device above her chest. She seemed to have walked straight out of a BDSM-club, or out of one of his magazines.

Her hair was black and hung loose between two giant swan-wings on her back.

She was incredibly hot, but also emitted a scary aura, and not the fun kind of scary. Even more scary was that he recognised her.

"Yuuma-chan?" Issei couldn't believe his eyes. So this was her true form? The one Rias-senpai did not want to tell him about? She looked a lot more mature now. She even seemed to have gotten taller.

"My my," Yuuma-chan said in a deep scary voice. "Not just running away, but also having a date with my Issei-kun. You're a bad girl, Asia-chan."  
Issei turned to Asia. "Are you with them?"

She weakly nodded.

Oh, wait, stupid question, of course she was. He had seen Yuuma-chan at the church so obviously she was with them. Whoever 'them' were.

Seems like he really should have trusted Rias-senpai. He could use her help against this winged demon girl. But she had retracted her surveillance after their little fight.

"Time to go home, Asia-chan," Yuuma-chan continued.

"No," Asia protested weakly. "I don't want to."

"I wasn't asking," Yuuma's voice was cold.

"Hey," Issei stood in front of her. "Don't think you can take her away from me."

What kind of man would he be if he didn't protect his… friend? Were they friends?

What kind of man would he be if he didn't protect this damsel in distress?

This was a stupid plan. This girl had  _wings_  for fuck's sake.

Yuuma chuckled. "Move aside,  _boy_."

"I'm not scared of you, stupid crow."

Yuuma sighed. A red spear of light appeared in her hand.

 _Not good_ , Issei thought.

Before he could move, the spear pierced his belly.

It burned through his entrails without any trouble.

The light scattered away and blood spurted out of the large wound. Issei fell on his knees, barely conscious.

"Ise," Asia screamed. She crouched down and tried healing him.

"The next one will be in his head," Yuuma said, already holding a new light-spear. "Unless you come with me,  _right now_."

"Don't hurt him," Asia pleaded. "I'll come with you."

"Now," she said coldly, raising the spear.

Asia walked to the edge. She stepped into the pond and waded towards the flying creature.

Issei vaguely registered the two of them vanishing in a flash of darkness.

Not good.

He would die here.

Asia had slowed the bleeding a bit, but that would only give him a moment respite. The wound was simply too big. A healer like Asia should know that.

He could not die here. He hadn't even seen real breasts yet. The little glimpse of Rias-senpai hardly counted. Of course he had seen a few from peeking on girls in the kendo club and such. But that did not count either. It only counted when a girl showed them to you willingly.

The only acceptable death was in the arms of a beautiful girl. Preferably multiple naked girls, but he would settle for just one given the situation. He didn't have much time left after all.

Issei smiled painfully. Even now his perverted thoughts did not stop. Some things never changed it turned out.

Shouldn't he have awesome last words? Not that anyone was around to hear them, but still. 'I'm not scared of you, stupid crow' sounded just a little too ironic.

Issei remembered there was a general in the American civil war whose last words were: 'they couldn't hit an elephant at this distance,' only to be shot moments later by a sharp-shooter. His own last words would be right up there with that guy.

Wait, how did he even know that?

He must have taken it from the dead guy.

If only he had taken something more useful like fighting skills or wings maybe. Or invisibility so he could peek on-

Focus. There had to be a way out of this.

He looked at his hands. They were red with blood, but it did not burn. This was his own blood.

Red?

He took out something from his pocket.

Just imagine her, huh? That shouldn't be too hard. But how could this card possible help him right now? Wasn't he supposed to use it  _before_ getting into a fight?

But well, not like he had much other options.

Issei closed his eyes and focused. It was pretty easy to imagine Rias-senpai (naked, obviously).

The circle glowed deep crimson.

Suddenly, the paper was ripped out of his hand. It floated to the middle of the pond where Yuuma-chan had vanished with Asia.

A giant circle made out of crimson light burst out of it. As it floated down, little stars flashed in and out of existence. From top to bottom, they formed the gorgeous body of Rias-senpai. She was wearing her school uniform even though it was Saturday.

"Wow," Issei said.

She slowly stepped out of the… whatever that thing was.

The circle faded away.

Rias-senpai looked down at her wet shoes and socks. She was momentarily annoyed, but then she spotted Issei.

Senpai quickly jumped out of the water and crouched down.

"Hyoudou-kun. What happened?"

"Not sure if I have enough time to tell it," Issei said.

"This is all my fault," Rias-senpai said, her arms wrapped around him. "I should have never left you alone. I should have been honest with you from the very beginning. I should have told you what Yuuma-chan was. I-"

"It's okay," Issei said. "At least I can die in the arms of a beautiful girl." By now, the strength had left his body and her arms were the only thing holding him upright.

Little tears formed in Rias' eyes.

"Hey, don't cry," Issei said. "My last image can't be a girl crying. It's already bad enough I saw Asia-chan crying."

"Well then," Rias-senpai said, she wiped away her tears. "We'll have to make sure that this isn't your last image then."

She took out an Evil Piece.

Issei had lost consciousness now. His breathing was growing slower every second.

She quickly put the piece on his chest and…

Resurrected him?

Why wasn't this working? A Knight should be more than sufficient to bring him back. He was just a normal human.

Unless…

Could it be?

Breathless, she took out her Red Pawn.

Maybe, just maybe, her little dream would come true after all. Maybe this Pawn was actually designed for one specific person.

She placed the Pawn on his chest.

Before she even spoke the required words, the Red Pawn glowed brightly.

Holy crap. It was true. It resonated with his body just like she had always hoped.

Rias swallowed hard.

"Come back to me, Ise."

The Pawn glowed even brighter and melted into his chest.

Issei slowly opened his eyes.

"Rias-senpai?"

"You can call me Buchou now," she said. She lifted him up in her arms.

"Hey," Issei protested. "This is the princess carry."

"So?"

"So I should be the one carrying you."

"You've lost too much blood for that I'm afraid."

"I've never lost enough blood to-" Issei tried getting up, grunted in pain and laid back down in her arms. "Never mind."

"Would now be a good time to tell you the truth?"

"I think I'll take a short nap first."

"You mean you're gonna pass out?"

"Whatever babe."

Rias finally chuckled.

Now that he had seen her smile, he could safely pass out.


	6. Chapter 6

"Nothing?" Rias asked. How could that be?

[I know,] Kiba replied through the communication circle. [Fingerprints, DNA, dental records, no matches with any database in the world.]

"Strange. And that phone?"

[According to the serial number it was bought in a shop in Akihabara a few weeks ago.]

"And no numbers inside?"

[Wiped clean automatically after each call. He knew what he was doing.]

Looks like they would never find out who that dead guy in the park was.

"Did they classify the file?"

[Yeah.]

"Thought so." She saw Issei stirring in his sleep. "I have to go."

[Okay.]

She broke of the communication circle.

Issei opened his eyes.

"Good morning," Rias said. "Well, almost midday actually."

"What happened?" Issei asked. He had a very strange headache.

"You kind of died," she said.

"Oh right." Now he remembered. "What was that thing?"

"A fallen angel."

"Fallen Angel? Like, from the bible?"

"Something like that. There are three factions: angels, fallen angels and devils. We've been at war for hundreds of years."

"And you're an angel?"

"No, I'm a devil. Sorry to disappoint you."  
He had already pieced together she was not human. But a devil?

"So you're the bad guy basically?" Issei asked.

"I'm not even a guy," Rias-senpai said. "And it's not that simple."

"Well no bad girl would say she was a bad girl of course."

"Would you like me to be a bad girl?"

She chuckled when Issei turned bright red.

"Anyway," Issei said. "Thanks for saving me. How did you do that actually?"

"I resurrected you. As my servant devil."

"Servant? Sorry, that's not gonna work. I'm very grateful that you saved me, but I can't be your servant."

"Why not?"

"Cause I want a harem of hot girls."

She chuckled. "You're an honest boy, aren't you?"

"Sorry."

"The two are not mutually exclusive. It's possible that you rise up in devil society, promote to a high class devil and get your own set of Evil Pieces. Then you can have your own servants."

That sure sounded promising but, "Still, it's not gonna work."

"Why not?"

"Cause I want you to be part of my harem."

She chuckled even harder. "A bit too honest perhaps."

"Look, thanks a lot for saving me," Issei threw back the covers and stood up. "But I have to go now."  
"To save your girlfriend? I would put on some clothes by the way."

"She's just a friend," Issei said. He looked down.

Why was he naked?

And why did he only realise this now?

Issei jumped back into bed.

"Why am I naked?" He asked, his voice a lot louder than necessary.

"You don't sleep naked?" Rias-senpai asked calmly.

"No."  
"Oh, sorry. I assumed you did."  
"So you just stripped me naked while I was out?"

"Yeah, of course."  
"..."

"I think you would have done the same. You might have done even more than that."  
"That's different!" Issei insisted.

"Why, because I'm a girl?"

"No. Because I'm a pervert."

She laughed again. "You're quite honest with your desires, aren't you?"

"Look, would you mind turning around so I can-"

"Issei, are you awake?" A new voice called.

Issei cursed. His mom.

He heard her walk up the stairs. "Just because it's Sunday does not mean you should laze around all day," she said.

Issei laid back on the bed.

His mom entered.

She looked at the strange scene. Luckily Rias-senpai was fully dressed. In her uniform, on a Sunday.

"What's going on here?" His mother asked.

"Ise didn't feel well last night so I brought him home," Rias-senpai said quickly. "I came to check on him."

"I think I have a fever," Issei tried making his voice sound sick.

"You should have told us you have a girlfriend," his mom said, completely ignoring his apparent sickness. "We're so proud of you."

"I'm just a friend," Senpai said.

"Sure sure. Can I get you anything?"

"I'm fine."

"Well, I'll leave the two of you alone then." His mom flashed a smile and left them.

"Like I said," Issei sat back upright. "Could you turn around so I can get dressed?"

"But," she bit her lip. "I thought I was your girlfriend, Ise-kun." Her voice was way too cute.

She seemed to enjoy teasing him. "I really have to go now. Asia-chan is in danger."  
"Unfortunately I can't let you do that. You're part of my peerage now. If you go there, you'll cause trouble."

"Asia is my friend."

"All very touching, but none of that can justify an attack against them. Asia is with them, and they are free to do whatever they want with her. If you go there now, you'll start a fight, maybe even a war. You're a devil now."

"I don't care about all that. I can't leave her there."

"We need a good reason to justify an attack. Look, I want to help you, I really do. But you can't go barge in there. They'll kill you, again. Not to mention the trouble you'll cause with such an open attack. The other fallen angels will not stand for a random attack."

Issei sighed. "You're right."

"Without a proper reason, my hands are tied. And that you fancy their blonde nun is not a proper reason."

Issei briefly imagined what he would do to her if her hands were actually tied.

Something red appeared next to senpai's ear.

She frowned. "We have to go," she said.

"We?"

"Yes  _we_. You're part of my peerage now whether you want it or not."

She took his hand. Her finger glowed red and drew a crude mark on his left hand. It transformed into the rose from the card.

"Gremory mark," she explained. "This will allow you to jump."  
"Jump?" This tatoo would not stay, right?

"Through a magic circle."

She raised her hand. Red lines appeared on the floor of his bedroom. They formed a circle with complicated patterns on it.

So that was how they moved that fast.

"Are you coming?" She asked.

"You mind if I get dressed first?"

"Oh, sorry."  
She turned around.

Issei changed into his school uniform. At some moments he was certain Rias was peeking at him, but it was probably just his imagination.

His worries were apparently not needed as the circle on his hand faded away again.

"Alright," he said. "Ready."

Senpai stood in the middle of the circle. "Come here." She held out her hand.

Issei walked until he stood in the middle as well and took her hand.

Their surroundings flashed and suddenly he was standing outside of a large building.

He recognised his surroundings. This was the old factory at the edge of the city.

More people were waiting for him.

As he had already expected, the other members of the Occult Research Club were here, all in their school uniform.

"Everyone, this is Hyoudou Issei," Rias introduced him. "Our newest member."

They all nodded. Koneko-chan showed a very disapproving look, Akeno-san didn't seem interested at all and Yuuto-kun just nodded. He knew Issei disliked him for being popular after all.

Inside, they heard clanging noises.

"What's that?" Issei asked.

"Stray devil," Yuuto-kun said. Issei noticed he had a black sword on his hip.

"Sometimes, resurrected devils don't want to serve their master," Rias-senpai explained.

"Imagine that," Issei said, slightly sarcastic.  
"If that happens, they become twisted monsters and have to be dealt with. We are responsible for this area."

"Dealt with?"

"Terminated."  
"Oh."

"This particular devil," Akeno-san said. "Likes to lure people inside and eat them."

"Eat them?" Hey, what the hell was going on here?

"Did you think I was making a joke?" Rias-senpai said, her voice very serious. "Stray devils are dangerous monsters."

Note to self: do not ever become a stray devil.

But if he was just a servant then how would he ever get a harem of hot girls?

"Let's get inside," Rias-senpai said. "This is a good opportunity to show you how devils fight."  
They entered the abandoned factory.

He saw a large shadow crawling in the back.

Everywhere, pockets of green slime were lying around.

Yuuto-kun crouched and studied one.

It was quite disgusting. The smell of blood and bile lingered everywhere.

Something large came from the shadows.

That must be the stray.

The lower half was a hairy snake-like figure, but the top half was a woman. A topless woman.

She had a pale skin, pale eyes and smooth black hair. Her nails were more like claws, painted in a deep red color.

Issei registered all of this in the back because he was staring at her quite nice breasts. She was nowhere near as big as Akeno-san or Rias-senpai, but she was still quite voluptuous.

Couldn't they like, capture her and keep her in a cage?

"A Viser-type," Koneko-chan said calmly.

The snake-woman hissed. "Another meal walks in."

"I am the Duke of Gremory," Rias-senpai said calmly.

"I wasn't talking about you," she said. "You're just a nuisance. But that boy next to you sure looks tasty."

Was she talking about him?

"Look," Issei said. "I like how you're interested in me, but I'm not into vorarephilia. I am into plenty of other things though, we could-"

"Ise," Rias-senpai cut him off. "Stop flirting with her."

"She is topless you know?" Issei argued. "I can't help it."

Rias-senpai sighed.

The snake-woman grabbed her boobs and started fondling them.

"Look," Issei said. "She's totally into me, do we really have to-"

He stopped because something weird was happening.

At first, he thought her nipples were just getting hard, but they were protruding just a little too much. And her lower body was transforming as well. Two giant legs sprouted out of it with huge claws on the end. The woman doubled in length. She was scraping the ceiling now with her head. When she opened her mouth, he could see large fangs and a forked tongue.

Two glowing magic circles appeared around her nipples.

What the…

A glowing yellow beam bursted out of each nipple.

Rias grabbed him and pulled him aside.

They barely dodged in time.

The beams hit the wall. The yellow slime melted away the concrete with a hissing sound.

"Still want to keep her alive?" Rias asked.

"No thanks. She's a monster."

"Oh really, imagine that." She looked at the swordsman. "Yuuto."  
"On it."

Yuuto-kun seemed to vanish for an instant.

Issei narrowed his eyes.

No, he did not vanish. He was just incredibly fast.

"Are you familiar with chess?" Senpai asked.

"A bit."

"All of us represent chess-pieces. The piece used will enhance a certain trait. Yuuto-kun is a Knight."

"Speed."

"Exactly."

As Issei watched, Yuuto-kun swung his weapon and cut of one of her arms. The monster screamed and sprayed more acid from her breasts.

Koneko-chan took Yuuto-kun's place.

"Hey, isn't this dangerous for a girl like her?"

"Don't worry."  
Viser clawed at the small girl with her remaining arm.

"Koneko-chan is a Rook," Rias-senpai said calmly. "Her traits are…"

With seemingly no effort, Koneko-chan caught the claw mid air. She threw the monster against the other wall, through a pillar. The entire building shook.

"Tremendous defensive and a rock-solid attack," Rias-senpai finished.

The monster was crawling back up.

Akeno-san walked up to her.

"She's the strongest," Rias-senpai said. "The Queen. Her traits are-"

"Watch out."  
He pulled her aside just in time.

One of the cut-off arms was still crawling around and was just about to sink its claws into Rias-senpai's beautiful legs.

Issei kicked it with his foot. It slid a step backwards.

Yuuto-kun stepped in and pierced it with his sword. Blood and slime spurted out of it. It still tried to claw its way to Rias-senpai but because of the sword that pinned it to the ground, it could not get any closer.

"Thanks," Rias-senpai said. She seemed a bit stunned at the sudden attack.

"Sorry Buchou," Yuuto-kun said.

"It's okay." She regained her composure and looked back at Akeno-san. "Like I said, Akeno is my Queen. Her piece combines the traits of all the others."

Electricity sparkled around Akeno-san. "Such a bad girl," she said in a sultry voice.

"She specialises in demonic powers," Rias-senpai said. "And she's also a complete sadist."  
"A what?"

"Bad girls need to be punished," Akeno-san said. A bolt of lightning struck the monster. She screamed loudly as her flesh was roasted.

Akeno-san chuckled. She seemed to genuinely enjoy the screams.

"Let me hear you more," she encouraged the monster. A second bolt struck her.

"She likes to play with her prey a bit," Rias-senpai said, shrugging.

"So uhm, Senpai?" Issei asked.

"Yes, Ise?"

"What piece am I? A Bishop? A Rook? A Knight?" Queen was already taken and he guessed Rias-senpai was the King, so that only left...  
"Oh. you're a Pawn."

His face dropped.

Obviously. He should have known.

He was not special at all, obviously he was just a useless Pawn without any special abilities.

"So uhm, what traits do I have then?" He asked, dreading the answer.

"Nothing in particular. Obviously, your general strength and speed are enhanced because of your resurrection and you should also be able to use demonic powers as well. Your night vision should improve as well. All of this can take a few days though, you've just been resurrected."

"So I can't do anything special?"

"Not really."

Useless basically?

Had she only used her Pawn because she felt guilty he had died? That had to be it. Clearly, the others members all had some valuable contribution while he was just standing here.

The stray devil was dead now. They all went back outside.

"Alright. I have to write a report on this," Rias-senpai said. "Akeno, you're coming with me. The rest of you, good work."  
Rias-senpai and Akeno-senpai left via magic circle.

Looks like he would have to walk home.

"So," Issei said.

Koneko-chan ignored him completely and walked away really fast given her short legs. Probably still angry about him peeping on her in the changing room.

Issei did not question why she was walking  _away_  from the city.

"Well done, Hyoudou-kun," Yuuto-kun said.

"I didn't do anything."  
"You saved Buchou."

"That wasn't a big deal."

"Anyway. I'll see you at school."

With his insane speed, Kiba jumped up on a rooftop. He ran to the edge and jumped to the next one.

"Show off," Issei mumbled.

He sighed. Looks like he would have to walk home alone.

On his way home, he passed the church and he could not resist the temptation. He just had to know if Asia was alright.

Issei cautiously sneaked to the church. There was no one inside the main room.

He decided to go around. At the back, he found an office with two people in it. One of them was Asia. He only saw her because the glow of her healing bathed her in green light.

Normally devils had a very good night vision, but Buchou had mentioned it could take several days for his eyes and body to adjust.

Asia was healing a dark shadow.

"Do it faster you stupid nun," the shadow barked. The voice was female, but he did not recognise it.

"I'm doing my best," Asia said.

"Your best is not good enough."

He heard a slap resound through the room.

Issei hands balled into fists. He almost decided to smash the window and get her out of there, but then-

"That stupid snake."

Snake? Could she be referring to Viser?

"Surely you must know that stray devils are dangerous," Asia said.

"Exactly." A sinister tone crept into her voice. "That ought to keep our redhead busy for a while. Meanwhile we can finish our preparations."

That did not sound well. Preparations for what?

"I'm done," Asia announced.

"Good, get out."

He wanted to get Asia out of there right away, but senpai was right. He could not go barge in there. This voice was different so there were at the very least two crows in there, maybe more. And one crow had killed him without any trouble. A useless Pawn like him could never hope to save Asia-chan.

He should get out of here before they caught him.

Issei sneaked back to the street.

There had to be a way to get Asia out of there.

He could of course sneak her out with some luck, but Yuuma-chan had located Asia-chan without trouble in the city, so it would not last long. And an action like that would be seen as an attack which could scatter the fragile peace between the three factions. He doubted Buchou would be able to protect him from that, or even  _want_  to protect him.

If he knew what they were planning it might be enough justification to attack them, but he would need evidence for that. Senpai would never believe him otherwise.

Like, how convenient would it be that he just happened to find what they were planning and they could save Asia? Yeah,  _suspiciously_ convenient.

There was nothing he could do. He was just a useless Pawn after all. A discardable piece.

"Sorry Asia. It looks like this is farewell."


	7. Chapter 7

"Useless pawn," Issei mumbled. "I'll show them." He pulled hard on his arms. "Three."

Issei lowered himself again. He was breathing hard already. Sweat was dripping from his face.

At this early hour, the little playground was completely deserted. The bars of this iron plaything were very suitable for pull-ups.

He gathered his strength and pulled up again.

Almost there. It didn't count if his chin was not above the bar.

Just a little bit mo-

"Uhm, Hyoudou-senpai?"

In his surprise, he released the bar and fell down.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" The female voice said.

Issei looked up at the unbelievably cute creature. It was a cheerful girl with two long ponytails and clippers in her brown hair. She wore thigh-high striped knee socks with a familiar uniform.

"I'm fine," Issei reassured her. He stood up and brushed the dust of his tracksuit. "You go to my school, don't you?" He asked.

"Yes." She made a small bow. "Nimura Ruruko, pleased to meet you, Hyoudou-senpai."

"You can call me Ise, everyone does."

"Uhm, okay, Ise-senpai." She blushed a bit.

Where had he seen this girl before?

"I uhm…" She fidgeted a little. "Wanted to thank you."

"Thank me?"

"You kinda saved me at the arcade."

Oh, right. That's where he had seen this girl before.

And now that she said it, this was also the girl he had pushed aside when fleeing after his little peeping-adventure with Koneko-chan.

"It really wasn't a big deal," Issei said, unsure how to react to this situation.

"If there is ever anything I can do for you," Ruruko-chan said.

She was really cute.

"Well, actually. Now that you mention it. There is something you could do for me."

\

Issei took a quick shower and changed into his uniform.

Obviously, he had not expected massive improvements, but he was still disappointed. He had improved a bit. In the past, he couldn't even pull-up once, but three times was still not that special. And it wouldn't be nearly enough to protect those he cared about.

Buchou had mentioned it could take several days before his body completely adjusted to being a devil, but Issei did not expect much more improvements.

He hopped on his bike and went to school.

The first hours went by relatively uneventful, but at lunch, something happened.

Yuuto-kun approached him.

"Buchou wants to see you after school," he simply said.

Issei nodded.

The hot looking boy left them again.

"Hey Ise," Matsuda said. "Explain yourself."

He saw several girls glaring at him, clearly demanding an explanation as well.

"I joined the Occult Research Club," Issei simply said.

"They let you?" Matsuda said.

"How so?"

"The ORC turns down basically all applicants," Motohama said. "We applied last year, remember?"

"Oh, right." They had indeed applied. Obviously, their application was based entirely on the fact that Rias-senpai and Akeno-senpai were in that club.

"Well," Issei said. "Looks like they changed their mind."

"How did you do that?" Matsuda demanded. "You have to tell us."

"Sorry guys, can't tell you."

"Traitor."

"Hey guys, come on. How about we'll watch a movie tonight? I found a new one."

"No thanks."

"Are you sure?" Issei asked.

Matsuda narrowed his eyes. "What kind of movie?"

"A very special one," Issei assured them.

"All right then," Matsuda yielded. "See you tonight."

\

Issei walked to the old school building after school.

He actually wasn't sure how he felt about Rias-senpai. Although he assumed she cared a lot about her servants, she had a rather cold attitude and ordered them around a lot. She had given Issei no choice in being her servant at all. Of course, he would be dead without her interference and as a stray he would be hunted down, so there wasn't much of a choice, but still, she did act like his master without any sense of guilt and she clearly did not take his desire to have a harem seriously. Especially that last part bothered him.

And although she had said she would try to help him free Asia, so far she had done nothing.

He had half a mind to leave her, but for now, going along with the flow seemed like the safest option. Rias-senpai had not yet displayed her powers, but if she was the King, it was likely they far succeeded those of her servants. Besides, she was absolutely right about Asia. There was nothing he could do to save her. And if he wanted to save her, he would need help.

Issei knocked on the door.

"Come on in," Rias-senpai said.

Issei entered. The others were here as well. Hot looking Kiba with his perfect hair, Akeno-san who hardly threw him a glance and Koneko-chan, still equally cute.

Koneko-chan approached him.

"We didn't get the chance to talk yesterday," she said politely. "I'm Toujou Koneko. Please take care of me." Koneko-chan made a little bow.

"Uhm." Issei was unsure how to reply. Of course, he had expected her attitude to change a little bit, but not to this extent.

Buchou blinked a few times. "I thought you were mad at him."

"I was," Koneko-chan said. "But a classmate of mine pointed out Hyoudou-senpai is a good person. So I'll forgive him just this once."

_Ruruko-chan, you're the best!_

"Thanks," Issei said. "I won't peek on you again, I promise."

Koneko nodded. Looks like she was satisfied. For now that is.

"Uhm," Issei turned to Rias-senpai. "You called me, Buchou?"

"Yes," Rias-senpai said. "I thought this would be a good moment to explain to you a devil's job."

"Oh."

"It's pretty simple actually. Humans summon us through magic circles our familiars hand out."

"Familiars?"

"Supernatural beings that assist a devil. Every devil has one. This is mine." She made a small black bat appear from a magic circle.

"This is mine," Koneko-chan said. A little white cat jumped out of her circle. It ran up along her arm to curl up on her head. It looked like the cat and Koneko-chan were trying to outdo each other in cuteness.

Yuuto-kun and Akeno-senpai showed their familiars as well: a bird and a small demon (an Oni).

"How do you get a familiar?" Issei asked.

"You go to the Familiar Forest on the night of the full moon and the Familiar Master will help you catch one."

"Oh."

Full moon. That was still some time away.

"Everything in time, Ise," Rias-senpai said. "For now you don't have to bother with the flyers."

"Okay."

"Normally masters make their new devils hand out flyers at first but that is quite pointless since we have familiars for that."

"So I don't have to hand out flyers?"

"No. I thought it would be best to get you straight to making contracts."

"Sounds fun. So, what kind of contracts do devils usually make?"

"It can be anything really. Usually, devils have recurring customers. I do a lot of curse removal from objects. I'm also summoned to deal with monsters or assassins that target certain people. Akeno gets a lot of wealthy businessmen who are stressed out from work and need to relax."

Relax? Did she mean…

"She mostly drinks tea and listens to their problems," Buchou clarified. She must have sensed his thoughts were going off an a tangent.

"Oh, right, of course."

"Yuuto gets a lot of elderly women. He's very good at cooking and housework. Koneko-chan is usually summoned as an opponent for playing games or sports. Cosplay photoshoots are also quite common."

"Cosplay?"

"Now your thoughts are actually correct," Buchou chuckled. "Some of them are just as perverted as you."

So basically he would be helping kids with their homework and doing housework? That didn't sound too bad.

"So we just complete their contract and they give us something in return?" Issei asked.

"Exactly. Usually it's money or objects. In the past we took souls as well, but that is no longer done."

"And if they ask something I can't do? I can't do magic you know."

"Then you just tell them you'll discuss it with your King and you return to me."

"Okay. Seems simple enough."

"I want to go with him," Koneko-chan said.

"Are you sure?" Rias-senpai asked.

"It's his first time, he could use some pointers."

Issei thought of other things when she said 'first time', but he did appreciate the help.

"Thanks, Koneko-chan."

"You helped a classmate of mine. Consider this my way of paying you back."

"Are you good friends with Ruruko-chan?"

"Of course, she's-" Koneko-chan hesitated.

"She's what?"

The girl seemed unsure.

"We're not the only devils here," Buchou said. "I didn't want to overwhelm you with all the information."

"Oh."

"She's a Pawn from Sona. The Student Council is a cover up. They are devils too."

A fellow Pawn?

If she was a Pawn, shouldn't she have been able to take care of that big guy without trouble? Or were all Pawns as useless as him?

He decided to ask her about it later.

Akeno-san prepared a magic circle for them.

Issei and Koneko-chan stood in the middle of it.

"Good luck," Rias-senpai said.

The circle flashed and their surroundings vanished.

A strong scent immediately assaulted him. It was quite familiar.

Blood.

The room was faintly lit with candles. Issei's eyes took a second to adjust. He could definitely see better in the dark now.

Against the wall was a male body. An enormous amount of blood had splashed out of it and covered half of the floorboards. It came from a massive wound in the man's stomach.

Issei crouched down and touched the blood. He felt his fingers burn slightly. Yep, definitely blood.

Koneko-chan tensed up.

"What is going on here?" Issei asked.

"Punishment of the wicked," a voice said.

issei turned and saw a grey-haired man sitting calmly on the couch. He turned to Issei. "I'm quoting the bible here."  
Issei knew that. Some biblical knowledge had been taken from Asia-chan.  _I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity. Isaiah 13:11_

Strangely, he got a headache just from thinking about it.

"Exorcist," Koneko-chan said. She took a battle-stance.

"Well well," the man said. "Two for the price of one." He stood up.

The man had long white-grey hair and red eyes. He was dressed in a golden-black waistcoat with white clothes beneath it. On his neck dangled a silver cross.

"My name is Freed Sellzen," he said as he made a deep bow. "A priest from a certain organisation."

"A banished one," Koneko-chan said. "A true exorcist would never openly attack us."

"Shut up, you stray cat." His voice completely changed tone. Issei saw a red glow in his eyes. Freed reached into his coat and pulled out two weapons. A large handgun for his left hand and a sword-handle for his right one. It was gold with a red pommel. Blue light shone from it. It formed itself into a blade with a zapping sound. A light blade, stolen straight out of Star Wars.

Issei remembered how the light spear from Yuuma-chan had burned his stomach. This light looked the same but with a different color.

"Watch out, Hyoudou-senpai," Koneko-chan said.

A bang sounded and blood sprayed from Koneko-chan's right shoulder.

She grunted. "Light bullets."

"Are you okay?"

In response, Koneko-chan jumped forward and tried to hit Freed. However, the priest simply danced back and evaded her strike.

He swung his sword forcing Koneko-chan to jump back.

The priest immediately followed up with his gun. Apparently, there was no need to reload as bullet after bullet just flew from the gun.

In an open field, Koneko-chan could have won, but in this small room, dodging was hard. When she jumped to the side, she quickly reached the wall. Not to mention that she had to make sure she did not stand in Issei's path.

Issei just stared with his mouth slightly open until Koneko-chan was hit again.

"Hey," he said, suddenly waking up from his shock.

"You must be a Pawn," Freed mocked him. "Useless. Nothing compared to her. What is she? A Rook?"

Anger flared in Issei's veins.

He raced for the priest and tried to hit him, however, Freed just sidestepped and fired his gun.

Burning pain raced through his knee. Issei fell on the floor. His vision blurred for a second.

He clenched his teeth. Aside from the pain, the bullets also left a burning effect that seemed to spread around the wound to his entire right leg.

He tried standing up, but only managed a crouch. His right leg was numb after being pierced by the bullet. No matter how hard he tried to move it, it didn't respond.

Freed aimed his gun at Issei's head. "Goodbye, devil-boy."  
Koneko-chan rammed him in his side which diverted the gun enough to miss the crucial shot. It left a burn mark on the wall.

Freed cursed and pushed his blade inside Koneko's belly. She gasped for breath. Blood poured out of the fresh wound

Koneko-chan stumbled backwards. She fell on her knees, grasping her belly.

"Stupid devils," Freed said. "Always so-"

A loud scream interrupted him.

Issei froze in place. He knew that voice.

He almost did not dare to turn but his head seemed to move on its own.

His guess had been correct. Asia-chan was standing there on shaking legs in her nun-uniform. Her face was twisted into a look of horror.

"Ah, Asia-chan," Freed said calmly. "Are you done setting up the barrier?"

"Father Freed, what are you doing?"

"Exorcising some devils," he said. He stuck out his unnaturally long tongue.

Seriously, how disgusting could you be?

Asia-chan eyed the two wounded devils on the ground.

"Now then." Freed raised his gun.

"No!" Asia screamed.

She took a protective stance in front of the two of them.

"What are you doing? Stupid bitch."

"Please, Father, I beg you."

Freed slapped her in her face.

"What do you think you're doing?" He grabbed her collar.

Issei had to do something. If only he wasn't a useless Pawn. If he was a Rook like Koneko-chan he could…

Wait a minute.

A flash of inspiration hit him.

"Koneko-chan," Issei said. "If this is chess and you're a Rook, then you should be able to do it, right?"

"Do what?" She asked. Her face twisted in pain.

"Get Buchou here."

"What? How would I… oh, of course. Yes, that should work."

"What are you two babbling on about?" Freed demanded. He released Asia-chan.

"Just playing some chess. Koneko-chan."

" _Castling!_ "

A blinding red light burst from her petite body.

Beneath her feet, a magic circle lit up. It transported her away and made someone else appear in her stead. Someone with long red hair.

Freed took a step back. "You were supposed to put up the barrier," he said. For the first time, fear crept in his voice.

"Barriers do not protect against castling-moves," Asia-chan said. "Not mine that is. Not nearly powerful enough."

A black and red beam burst out of Rias' hands. It hit Freed's left hand. With a scream, he dropped his gun.

"Stupid devil," he cursed.

"You dare attack my dear servants," Rias said. Her body was enveloped in a scary red aura.

"Time to go," Freed said.

"Hey."

Before they could stop him, he reached into his pocket and threw something tiny on the floor. The little glass bottle smashed and filled the room with thick smoke.

When it cleared up again, Freed and Asia were gone.

"Koneko-chan," Issei said. "She's wounded."

"So are you."

"Fuck that, Koneko-chan was stabbed in her belly. She protected me and…"

Rias-senpai nodded. She took Issei's hand and summoned a magic circle.

He was weak. Way too weak. He could not protect Asia or Koneko or anyone else.

The magic circle flashed.

They arrived into the clubroom.

Akeno-senpai was already busy with Koneko-chan. Her wounds were bandaged up. Issei saw the bandages around her belly were already soaked with blood.

Issei limped to her and took her hand.

"Are you okay?"

"Don't worry about me, Hyoudou-senpai." Her voice was weak. "The blade missed my organs and main artery. You need treatment as well." She looked at his leg.

"Without you I would have died," Issei said.

"She's right," Buchou said. "Ise, we have to take care of your leg. You'll be in trouble if you lose too much blood. Koneko-chan has the sturdy body of a Rook, you were only resurrected two days ago."

"No need to remind me that I'm a useless Pawn," Issei snapped.

She grabbed his jacket and pushed him on the second couch.

"Take off your pants," she said as she knelt down.

"Uhm, Buchou? I'm all for this, but-"

"I'm going to take care of your wound."

"Oh, of course." He unzipped his trousers.

It wasn't easy to get it past his wounded leg, but with a lot of pain, he managed.

Akeno-san handed Rias some bandages and alcohol to clean the wound.

He bit his lip when she disinfected it.

"Sorry," she murmured.

She took the bandages and started wrapping them around his knee.

"Do you really think the Pawn is the most useless piece?" She asked.

"Well, of course. It is, right?"

She sighed. "It's my fault. I should have told you from the very beginning. I never thought of it."

"Told me what?"

"Ise, you just castled. So you know what the Pawn can do."

"Wait, you mean to tell me…"

"Promotion. When a Pawn makes it all the way to the enemy's base, they can promote to any piece except for the King."

"So I can be anything I'd like? Even a Queen?"

"Theoretically, yes. Right now, your body would have a hard time handling that kind of power, but with some training, yes, you can do it. The flexibility to promote to any piece makes the Pawn one of the most valuable pieces in the game, if used well."

So he could be a Rook like Koneko-chan? All he had to do was make it to the enemy's base.

"Done," Rias-senpai said. "You need some rest."

"Sure, I'll just go home."

"It's best if you stay here actually. This academy has strong barriers cast around it. That crazy priest might return to finish the job. Besides, I'll be here as well. In here, you're safe."

"I can't stay here forever," Issei insisted.

"You don't have to. I'm working on a solution. But I need some time, so please, stay here, just for one night."

"Okay."

Rias-senpai visible relaxed.

She left the room and returned with two pillows and some blankets.

Issei was getting more and more convinced she actually lived in this building.

Buchou carefully put a pillow under Koneko-chan's head and threw a blanket over her. She did the same with Issei even though he was only wounded at his leg.

"I have to go now, but I won't be long. I just have to take care of something."

"Okay."

Rias-senpai left them. She took Akeno-senpai with her. Yuuto-kun asked if they needed anything, but when they said no he left as well.

It was silent for a while.

"Hey, Koneko-chan?"

"Yes?"

"If we make it out of all this alive, will you call me Ise like everyone else?"

She chuckled. "It's a promise, Hyoudou-senpai."

It was quiet again.

"Can I ask you something?" Issei asked.

"Sure."

"Why does Rias-senpai act like that?"

"Like what?"

"She's so cold and distant. She forgets to mention important things, she orders us around all the time. You know. She looks a bit stressed out." Of course, she did have things to stress out about. Koneko-chan was just wounded after all.

"She didn't used to be like that," Koneko-chan said.

"What happened?"

"Her seventeenth birthday party."

"Uhm what?"

"Ever since that day, she's changed."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure if I'm allowed to tell you actually."

"Please."

She hesitated for a moment. "Fine. Her mother reminded her that she's engaged."

Issei almost fell out of the couch. "She's  _what_?"

"Her father set up a marriage with Raiser Phoenix, a high-class devil."

"Oh. Have you met him? Is he a nice guy?"

"A massive asshole," she simply said. "With his own harem."

"Harem?" Issei jerked upright.

"Don't sound so excited, Hyoudou-senpai. He's an arrogant, stupid, high-class devil who will cheat on Buchou in plain sight."

Oh. Well, that explained a lot.

"So, she's supposed to marry that guy?"

"They'll be setting the date shortly after she turns eighteen."

So that was why she acted like that?

"And there is nothing we can do?"

"Buchou insists that she won't marry him, but what is she going to do? Her dad will be in big trouble if the engagement is broken off without a proper reason. The House of Gremory needs a strong heir, certainly after…" she hesitated.

"After what?"

"Buchou has an elder brother, but he can't succeed her father. Buchou is the heir and she will need a high-class devil as her husband."

Looks like Buchou had her own troubles. And they were a lot bigger than his.

"It looks like your wish will turn out alright," Koneko-chan said.

"Yeah."

He didn't have to ask what she meant. He wanted to storm that church and save Asia-chan. That crazy priest had attacked them openly and he had shown he was with Fallen Angels because Asia-chan was with him. So now they had a good excuse to counterattack.

"She's probably talking with some higher ups right now. If there is a reaction from the commanders of the Fallen Angels, we have to be certain the devils will back us up. But after this attack, I wouldn't doubt they'll agree. We'll be saving your girlfriend soon enough."

"Yeah." Looks like he could save Asia-chan after all. "Hey, she's not my girlfriend."

"Sure, sure." Koneko-chan turned on her side and closed her eyes.

True to Koneko-chan's words, Rias-senpai did indeed return shortly after with exactly that news. Issei guessed she had been gone for about half an hour.

"Their activities have been deemed threatening enough," Buchou said. "We can kill them all without trouble."

"So we can save Asia?"

"We'll try. Once both of you have rested enough, we'll attack."

Issei wanted to go right now, but with his leg like this he couldn't do a lot. Not that he could do much _with_  his leg, but still. If he couldn't even stand up, he could not go with them.

"You know," Rias-senpai said. "There is actually something that can speed up your recovery."

"Asia can't heal me now," Issei said.

"I wasn't talking about that. As devils it is possible to share your demonic energy if you're from the same peerage."

"Share?"

"Right now, your demonic powers are working to speed up the healing process. Koneko-chan is doing the same. However, you have been resurrected recently so your demonic powers are incredibly low. But you can tap from mine and that could drastically increase your recovery speed."

"And how does that work exactly? How do you share your demonic powers?" The way she said it made it sound like it wasn't easy.

"Direct skin contact is needed, the more the better. If you want to see some effects, we'll have to hug naked."

…

Come again?

He had heard that wrong, right?

"If you're okay with it that is," Buchou said. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

"I uhm, yeah, of course. Just to speed up the healing process, right?"

"Of course." She smiled.

With deft fingers, she unbuttoned the blazer of her uniform.

Luckily, Koneko-chan had fallen asleep some time ago.

Issei's eyes were fixed on Rias-senpai.

She opened her blouse so Issei could see her bra. It was a different one this time. It had two parts of red lace which were kept together by a string tied in a neat little loop. There was a small gap in between so a tiny strip of bare skin right in the middle was visible. The knot hovered just above where her nipples should be.

It suddenly felt very hot in the room.

When she unzipped her skirt and let it pool around her ankles, he could see she was wearing matching panties.

"You should get undressed too," she said as she took of her white socks.

"Oh, yeah, of course."

He pulled his shirt over his head.

His fingers moved to his boxers, but they stopped before he could take them off.

Rias-senpai was reaching back to unclasp her bra. Last time she had turned her back on him at that moment, but maybe this time…

The lacy red bra slid over her shoulders on the pile of clothes.

He wasn't certain how long he kept staring, motionless. Too long probably.

"Sorry for being such a bad master," she suddenly said.

Huh?

Issei blinked a few times. He had been so occupied with staring at her bare chest he had not noticed her expression had changed.

"I… I sent you of on a mission and you and Koneko-chan almost got killed. If I had sent you alone, which I was planning to do, you would have died. I should have let you hand out some flyers first, make you stronger before sending you to complete contracts."

"Buchou…"

"And it's not just that. I should have told you about the true power of a Pawn way earlier, I should have told you about the Mutation Piece, I should have done more to help the sister, I should have-"

"Buchou. It's okay. It's not your fault."

"It is. It's my fault you died in the first place. You asked me for help, and I let you down. I should have realised the Fallen Angels were targeting you. I should have kept up the surveillance."

"They weren't targeting me. They wanted Asia-chan back, I was just in the way. There was nothing you could have done. You saved me."

"I brought you back, but as what? As a servant."

"You would not go this far for a simple servant. You're willing to share your demonic powers to help me with a wound that's not even life threatening. You don't think of me like a servant. You think of me like a little brother."

She smiled slightly. "So, is this incest then?"

"Well, we're not actually blood related."

"That sounds like a lame excuse an incest-anime would use."

"I didn't know you watched those."

She turned bright red. "Of course not. Take off your boxers, Ise, I have to heal your wound."

"Yes, Buchou."

She took of her panties as well and got under the blanket.

The couch was not that big so they were really close together. Rias-senpai hugged him from behind in a spooning position. The softness of her breasts pushing against his back was definitely the best thing he had ever felt.

"Better?" She asked.

"Way better."

"I was talking about your leg."

"Oh. Well, I had completely forgotten about that."

She chuckled. "I guess that works too. Goodnight, Ise."

"Goodnight, Rias-senpai."


	8. Chapter 8

Issei opened his eyes.

Something was off.

His brain was slow to register what happened.

Still half asleep, his hand reached out and touched something unbelievably soft. He squeezed it.

Strange. Where did this wondrous sensation come from?

Rias-senpai opened her eyes as well.

"Ise?"

He almost got a heart attack, scrambled back, realised the couch stopped there and made contact with the hardwood floor.

That woke him up instantly. His memory quickly pieced back the events of last night.

Rias-senpai sat upright. Because Issei had taken the blanket with him in his fall, he could see her in full glory as she stretched her arms and yawned.

"Is something wrong?" Buchou asked, she didn't seem to care she was naked. There was concern on her face, but it was directed towards Issei on the floor.

"No, nothing," Issei said. He wiped away the drool from his chin.

Had something happened, or had he simply turned around in his sleep? Probably the latter.

He had touched her naked breasts just a second ago, but he hadn't really been awake then, so the sensation was a bit vague.

"Please give me a second chance," Issei mumbled. He stood up, making sure the blanket stayed around him.

Rias-senpai stood up and put on her panties. She probably hadn't heard his words.

"How is your leg?" She asked.

"Oh, uhm." He checked his right leg. All traces of the wound had vanished. It was a bit stiff, but the pain was gone. His leg could support his weight without trouble.

"Completely healed," he announced.

"Good." She sat down on the couch. "Mind hooking my bra?"

Her back was almost as beautiful as the front.

Issei sat down on the couch behind her.

"Which one do you prefer?" He asked.

"Huh?"

"The hooks on your bra."

"Oh, middle one."

"Okay." He hooked up her bra. Her skin felt soft and warm against his fingers.

"You're surprisingly good at that," she said.

"I uhm, did some research," Issei admitted.

"On how to unhook them?"

She chuckled when he blushed. "Is Koneko-chan awake?" Ise quickly changed the subject.

His junior was awake. Issei wasn't sure whether this was a coincidence or because of the commotion they just caused.

She seemed to be in snooze-mode.

"Good morning, senpai," she said.

"Good morning."

She yawned and stretched out. She really looked like a cat when she did that.

"I'll make us some breakfast," Buchou announced.

"Okay."

She left them.

Was there a kitchen here?

Koneko-chan sat upright. Sadly, she was still fully dressed so there was no exposition.

Wait, Koneko-chan was his junior, he should not be thinking that. And he had promised her he wouldn't peak on her again. But did it count if she-

"I think we can attack tonight," Koneko-chan said. "I feel much better."

"Are you sure? Your wound was quite serious."

"We shouldn't wait. Your girlfriend is in danger."

"You're righ- hey."

Koneko-chan chuckled. "Thanks for saving me, senpai."

"I didn't do anything."

"You suggested to castle. Without that, we would have both died. Maybe you imagined something more heroic, but there is more than one way to save someone."

"Yeah. I should have punched that exorcist in the face."

"He's a trained fighter, if you want to defeat him you'll need more tactic than that. Or more training."

She was right. Freed was a skilled fighter. His ability to switch between short and long range made him incredibly difficult to deal with. A speed type like Yuuto-kun would probably have the best chance.

"Focus on the enemies you can take, Hyoudou-senpai," Koneko-chan said. "We're a team. You don't have to fight alone."

If he could get within range if Yuuma-chan, he might stand a chance. But she could fly, so that wouldn't be easy.

"But she can fly," Issei said. "So how can I ever get-"

"So can you."

"I can?"

Koneko-chan chuckled. "She didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

Black wings sprouted from Koneko-chan's back. They looked like those of a bat, only much bigger.

"Don't be ridiculous," Issei said. "You can't fly just because you have wings. It's much more complicated than that. The weight and circulation of birds-"

"That's right," Rias-senpai said. She entered with a tray. "But our wings don't work that way. They only channel our demonic powers to allow us to fly."

"Oh. And my demonic powers are not big enough?"

"Yet. Have some patience, Ise."

Issei briefly wondered at his knowledge. He had immediately dismissed the idea that a human could fly just because they had wings. After all, birds were completely adapted to flying. Their bones were hollow and they had no teeth to minimize their weight. Their shape was more aerodynamic and their digestive system was optimized for high energy food to reduce weight. Their respiratory system was roughly five times larger than a mammal of the same size. If a human would be given wings, his lungs and heart would never be able to supply enough oxygen and sugar to the flight muscles to get off the ground in the first place. And even if you somehow got your clumsy body of the ground, you'd break your legs trying to land.

He must have taken this biology knowledge from somewhere.

The dead guy when he had fought Freed? He had touched the blood on the ground, and after that, the familiar burning itching feeling in his hand had stayed a long time.

Could he use this knowledge somehow? If the wings only channeled magic, it was probably useless to damage them. So he would have to-

"Is something wrong, senpai?" Koneko-chan asked. She drank from a glass of milk.

"Sorry, I was thinking about things."

"I would have made something better," Rias-senpai apologised, she handed him a glass of orange juice. "But it's already quite late."

"It's fine, really."

In all the commotion, all of them had forgotten to put an alarm. Which meant they had about fifteen minutes left before school would start.

Issei wondered where she had even gotten fresh bread so fast. It was warm enough to make him suspect it came straight out of the oven.

When they were done, they cleaned up and agreed to meet again at the clubroom after school.

Issei was nervous. He had been in a fight before with Viser, but this was entirely different. They would try to save Asia-chan now. There was a lot at stake. And there was more than one enemy.

"Senpai?"

Issei turned. "Oh, Ruruko-chan. How are you?" What was she doing in the old school building?

"I'm well. I heard you're planning to attack the fallen angels."

"Indeed." News travelled around fast here.

"We want to help, but we can't. It would look like hime-sama can't solve her own problems."

"Hime-sama?"

"You didn't know? Rias-senpai is called the 'Red Ruin Princess'."

"Oh, no, I didn't know." That was quite an impressive nickname. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."  
"Why didn't you fight that guy yourself? At the arcade I mean. If you're a Pawn, you should be able to handle him."

"Kaichou told me to keep a low profile. Don't you think it would draw lots of attention if a little girl like me won against such a big guy?"

"Good point." Seems like her King was pretty smart.

"I was just thinking how I could get away without fighting and then you appeared. So I'm really grateful to you because I didn't really know what else to do. Kaichou would have been very mad at me if I had caused a scene."

"Don't mention it."

The bell rang.

"I have to go to class."

"Me too. See you around, senpai."

"Yeah, see you around."

He went to his class.

"Oh, still alive huh?" Matsuda's voice said.

"Barely," Issei said.

"I thought we were going to watch a movie."  
"Sorry, some stuff came up."

"Stuff with Rias-senpai? You still haven't told us how you got into the ORC."  
"Yeah," Motohama added.

"Look, I-"

Luckily, the teacher started class at that moment which forced them to shut up.

The day went by in a blur. Maybe it was because he was so nervous and didn't really pay attention. He was certain that just a moment ago he was sitting in class. But now he was in the clubroom, pacing back and forth. They had agreed to wait until nightfall to attack since devils were weaker in sunlight. Their improved night vision would also give them an edge over the fallen angels.

Issei could have gone home and then returned, but he was too nervous to go home.

Very quickly, night had fallen and all of them were present.

"Alright," Rias-senpai said. "Here is the plan. It is likely they are expecting us. After that priest almost killed two of us, it would be very strange if there was no reaction at all."

That made sense.

"It's also likely they see me as the biggest threat," Buchou continued.

_And they were right in that_ , Issei thought. Buchou had disarmed that priest without batting an eye.

"So," Buchou said. "I will attack from the back. It's likely they will sent people to intercept me. While they are busy with me, the four of you can go in through the front door. They won't expect anyone to simply walk in."

"You want to go alone?" Issei asked. "You can't do that."

"I must agree with him, Buchou," Yuuto-kun added. "It's dangerous."

"Our priority is to save the sister," Buchou said. "So we need to get as much people inside as we can. Our second priority is to find out what they are planning, and for that we need to get inside as well. They won't just let us walk in, you know that. Besides, we run the risk that they take the sister as a hostage when they see us coming."

"And if they do," Koneko-chan suddenly said. "What do you intend to do? Do you want us to surrender?"

Rias-senpai bit her lip, unsure how to reply.

"We can't surrender," Issei said. "That priest almost killed Koneko-chan, he must be dealt with."

"But, don't you want to save your… friend?" Rias-senpai asked.

"That priest is crazy, that's true, but he was smart enough to flee when Buchou arrived. I think his attack was a calculated move to weaken Buchou by taking away her servants. They must be planning something big."

"We should ask for help," Yuuto-kun said.

"Based upon what?" Rias-senpai challenged him. "We have no evidence they are planning anything. We have one direct attack from that crazy priest, not nearly enough to prove a plan exists. If we ask for help, we'll look weak and…"

"You don't want to look weak, because-" Issei stopped when they made eye contact. That had been a mistake. Something strange was in Buchou's eyes. Sadness? Or disappointment? He wasn't sure.

She looked at Koneko-chan, who avoided her glance. His junior looked as if she wanted to sink into the ground.

A strained silence had fallen. They all knew the unspoken truth.

"We're going with this plan," Buchou said. "There will be no further discussion. I expect you guys to teleport in a few minutes." She walked away and gestured with her hand. A magic circle formed on the floor.

"Buchou," Issei said. He should probably apologize. "I uhm… be careful."

She nodded. "You too."

The circle flashed and she was gone.

It stayed silent.

Rias-senpai wanted to take care of this herself, and show that she didn't need a husband in the idle hope that it would cause her parents to reconsider her engagement.

"We should have stopped her," Koneko-chan said. "Someone should have gone with her."

"We can't save her from herself," Akeno-senpai said.

"Of course we can," Issei said. "Just watch me. Let's go."

"We should give her some time to draw them out," Akeno-senpai said.

"I agree with Hyoudou-kun," Yuuto-kun said. "We should go right now."

"Come on, Akeno-san," Koneko-chan urged her.

She sighed with a little smile. "Unbelievable."

The Queen raised her hand and crafted a magic circle.

They stepped into it and teleported to the front of the church.

An eerie feeling crept into him.

"I hate churches," Koneko-chan said. It looked like she had the same feeling.

Yuuto-kun was the only one who had a different expression. He was not uncomfortable. Rather, he seemed angry.

"Let's go," Koneko-chan said. She kicked open the doors.

"Hyoudou-kun," Akeno-senpai said. "This is the last line of the enemy's territory."

Issei nodded.

He stepped inside.

"Promotion.  _Rook_."

He felt his power surge. But at the same time, his left arm started burning. It was a familiar sensation. The same itching burn he felt when he touched someone's blood, only now he felt it everywhere from elbow to wrist.

He looked. There was no blood on it, but his lower arm did start glowing red.

What was going on here? Was this Promotion?

In a bright flash, something appeared on his arm.

What the…

Issei wildly swung his arm, but whatever the thing was, it was strapped tightly to his body.

It was a red gauntlet that covered him from his fingers almost to his elbow. It was connected to his hand by a ring of red scale that split in two around his thumb. On either side was a yellow spike reaching back parallel with his arm. But the most apparent thing was a large green jewel-stone that was set into on the very top, near his fingers. An orange orb of light was pulsing inside of it. It seemed to pulse in tandem with his heartbeat.

What the hell was this?

"Well well well," a familiar voice said.

He looked up. It was Freed. He was standing near the altar, with a girl in his arms. His light pistol pressed against her chin.

"Asia!"

They all hesitated. They really should have discussed what to do in this situation.

It looked like Asia had been dragged out of bed, since she was dressed only in her panties and a white tank top with nothing beneath it. It would have been a very interesting sight if not for this situation.

"We've been expecting you guys," Freed said. He was fully dressed.

Damnit. They had walked right into this one.

"Ise-san, you should go," Asia pleaded.

"I can't do that I'm afraid. We're here to save you."

Freed laughed. "Stupid boy."

An idea formed in Issei's mind.

"What are you planning, Freed?" He asked.

"I'll tell you, once I've cut you in pieces." He stuck out his tongue and laughed again.

"How is your aim?" Issei whispered to Akeno-senpai.

"Our King will be here soon," he said to Freed. "You should surrender while you still have the chance.

Freed laughed again. Akeno-senpai took this chance to reply.

"Good enough."

"Your King will be dead soon enough," Freed proclaimed. "My friends are taking care of her right now."

Issei swallowed hard. He would just have to trust in Akeno-senpai. They would only have one chance.

"Are your friends as heroic as you?" Issei taunted him. "Maybe they already fled, like you did."

"Shut up, devil-boy." His eyes were shining red.

"What are you doing?" Akeno-senpai hissed.

"Improvising." He raised his voice again. "Why don't you release her so we can settle this like men?" Issei yelled. "Coward."

With a growl, Freed threw Asia on the floor. He aimed his gun at her.

No way to turn back now. Issei started running.

A bright lightning bolt jolted through the air. It passed him on the right.

Akeno-senpai had not lied about her aim. She hit Freed's wrist which forced him to release the gun with a yelp.

Before he could pick it up, Issei had closed in. He hit the priest in the face with all his might.

Because he had used his left hand with the gauntlet, and because he had promoted to Rook, the impact was much bigger than usual.

Freed was pushed back several steps.

Issei kicked away the gun. His plan had worked so far.

Freed wiped the blood from his mouth. "You're dead."

The crazy priest took out his lightsword.

"Nice move, Hyoudou-kun," Yuuto-kun said. He stood in front of Freed.

"We'll take it from here," Koneko-chan added.

Akeno-senpai was running to the back, probably to help Buchou.

He felt the gauntlet on his wrist vanish.

Issei turned to Asia-chan. "Are you okay?"

"What are you doing here, Ise-kun?"

"Uhm, saving you?"

She blushed. "You really shouldn't have done that."

"Don't be ridiculous." He held out his hand. "We haven't even gone bowling yet. Or karaoke. And I have to introduce you to my friends. They are a bit perverted, but they are good guys."

She took his hand so he could pull her upright.

"Do you know what they are planning?" Issei asked.

"They didn't tell me," Asia-chan said.

Issei looked at the fight. With his gun taken away and against two opponents, Freed was quickly driven back.

"Time to end this," Yuuto-kun said. He swung his blade at the crazy priest.

Freed blocked with his lightsword. "Stupid devil boy."

A strange aura spread out from Yuuto's black weapon. Freed's lightsword flickered and then went out.

"What the-"

Koneko-chan's fist hit him in the stomach which sent him flying backwards. The altar behind him was reduced to rubble.

The crazy priest pushed himself up. "We'll meet again," he said.

He threw something on the floor. A burst of light blinded them momentarily.

When his vision cleared again, Freed was gone. Once again, he had slipped through their fingers.

Issei let out his breath. Not the victory they had hoped for, but still a victory. Asia was safe.

She squeezed his hand.

Wait, why were they still holding hands?

"Guys, look at this," Koneko-chan said.

Issei saw it too. Hidden beneath the altar was a staircase.

"Did you know about this, Asia-chan?" Issei asked.

She shook her head.

"I have to check it out. I'll be right back."

She did not release his hand. "Please, don't leave me alone."

"Look, I have to-"

"Are you guys coming?" Yuuto-kun asked. He was already going down.

Koneko-chan followed him. Isse was certain he heard her mumble 'get a room' before she descended.

Left with little choice, he and Asia descended the stairs, still holding hands.

They arrived into a large underground room lit with candles. Stairs led up to a raised platform with a huge wooden cross put on it. It was painted black with small white lines. Candles were put around it in a half-circle.

The room was completely deserted. In here, it was even colder than upstairs.

"Holy crap," Yuuto said. "That is…"

He looked at the cross with disgust.

Asia was still holding his hand. She shivered. He couldn't tell whether it was from fear or coldness.

"Hold on," Issei said. He released her hand and took of the blazer of his uniform.

"Here." He handed her the jacket.

"I… uhm."

"You're freezing."

"Thanks, Ise-kun." She put on his blazer. It was too big for her, but it kinda looked cute. She did not stop shivering though. The stones were ice cold on her feet.

"We'll get you out of here soon," Issei promised. He had to investigate this first.

Asia-chan nodded.

Issei slowly took the stairs up.

There was no one here, so who had lighted these candles?

Or had they interrupted something?

Issei reached the top.

Now, he could see it. Heavy iron chains were on the floor in front of the cross. And the size of the cross was much bigger than he had guessed from down there.

He touched it. It wasn't wood after all. It was solid stone.

For a moment the white lines flickered red.

"Be careful, Hyoudou-kun," Yuuto yelled.

What was this thing?

Something sounded behind him.

Echoes.

Someone was running down the stairs.

Had Freed returned?

This could be a good trap. They were underground and there was only one exit. Maybe Freed intended to-

He saw crimson red hair and calmed down again. Rias-senpai and Akeno-senpai had returned.

Issei went back down.

"You're hurt," Issei said. There were a few minor wounds on her arms and her clothes were torn in various places. Her hair was a bit disheveled as well and one lock was burned away halfway. Akeno-senpai was unharmed, but strangely, she now wore a miko outfit.

Buchou pulled him in a sudden hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Especially now." Hugging big-breasted girls was a wonderful sensation.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Asia-chan was biting her lip.

"I should heal your wounds," she interrupted their hug.

Rias-senpai released him. "So this is your girlfriend?" She eyed the blonde girl who now blushed bright red.

"I'm not his girlfriend," she insisted. Her two rings appeared and started emitting green aura.

Buchou's wounds closed. She thanked Asia-chan for the healing.

"How did it go here?" Buchou asked.

"Freed escaped," Issei said.

"Too bad. I managed to kill two of them, the other two escaped when Akeno arrived, one of them is heavily wounded though."

"Yuuma-chan?"

"Escaped. Her name turns out to be Raynare by the way. She escaped with a guy called 'Dohnaseek' or something."  
Their mission hadn't been as successful as he had hoped. They had tried to kill all of them, but more than half of them had escaped.

"At least we know what they were planning," Yuuto-kun said.

"We do?" Issei asked.

"That cross. It's a power transfer beacon."

"A what?"

"They were trying to steal someone else's power. Probably a Sacred Gear."

He looked at Asia-chan.

The sister seemed unsure how to reply to that.

That plan did make some sense. Healing could be an incredibly useful power. But then, why had Yuuma… Raynare approached him?

It had to be this blood transfer power.

But did she really intend to take that kind of risk for some physics knowledge? He had only been able to take knowledge, not actual memories, so it wasn't that useful in a real fight.

Unless she was after that red gauntlet that had appeared up there.

"While we're on the topic of Sacred Gears," Koneko-chan said. "Ise-senpai displayed one during the battle."  
"Are you sure?" Rias-senpai asked.

"Absolutely. I think it was a Twice Critical."

"Interesting."

"I don't know how it happened," Issei said. "I promoted and suddenly there was a gauntlet on my arm."

"Can you make it appear again?"  
"Uhm, I guess I could try." He cleared his throat. "Promotion,  _Rook_."

Nothing happened.

"You can't promote here," Akeno-senpai pointed out. "This is no longer considered enemy territory."

"Then how can I make that gauntlet appear?"

"Once awakened you should be able to manifest it freely," Buchou said. "You just have to conjure a strong image."

"Like what?" He looked at Asia-chan. "Never mind, I got something."

Issei focused his thoughts.

" _Sacred Gear._ "

He was suddenly pushed forward.

What the…

Suddenly, he had a very weird sensation on his back. Like he had some extra limbs.

"Oh." He had summoned his devil wings.

"Well, we're getting somewhere at least," Buchou said with a smile. "For now, we should head back."

"Agreed."

He wanted to get away from this cold.

Issei made his wings vanish again.

"There is one slight problem however," Buchou said. "We have to take the sister somewhere."

Right, Issei had not thought about that. He had been obsessed with saving her, but not for one second had he considered where to take her once he had saved her. Obviously, she could not stay here at the church.

"There's enough space at the old school building," Rias-senpai said. "Or I could arrange a safe house. What do you want, Asia-san?"  
"I… I want to stay with Ise-san," she proclaimed. Her face turned bright red and she avoided Ise's eyes.

He must have heard that wrong. For a moment he thought she had said-

"Is that okay with you, Ise?" Buchou asked.

Asia-chan looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Uhm, I guess. But uhm, my parents are uhm…"

"I can take care of that," Buchou reassured him.

"Then, I guess, it's okay?"

Asia-chan hugged him tight. "Thank you so much. We'll be together forever now."

"Uhm, yeah." This was a bit overwhelming.

Asia-chan wasn't nearly as big-chested as Rias-senpai, but she seemed to overcompensate for that by hugging him tighter.

He awkwardly patted her back, unsure of what to do.

The others tried their best to keep a straight face.

Finally, Asia-chan released him.

"I'll go pack," she said.

She ran up the stairs.

"I don't know what you're planning," Issei said. "But it's the middle of the night. Are you gonna wake up my parents now?"

"I guess it would be easier to explain them the situation tomorrow," Rias-senpai said. "I'll convince her to sleep on the couch in the clubroom for tonight. Tomorrow after school we'll talk to your parents about this."

"You mean we have school tomorrow?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Of course we have school, what were you thinking?"

"We've been fighting half of the night."

"Yeah, that means you still have half the night left to sleep."

"Surely you can pull some strings to let us skip tomorrow."

She chuckled. "I could. But I won't. See you tomorrow, Ise-kun." She went away.

"Unbelievable," he mumbled.

"Oh, one more thing." She turned back at the stairs and returned to him.

Quite unexpectedly, she leaned in and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Great work today," she said.

Issei was too stunned to reply. The place where her lips had touched him tingled.

In a wave of red hair, Rias-senpai left him.

"My my," Yuuto-kun said. "Getting close to the president, are we?"

"Shut up, pretty boy," Issei retorted.

He had thought those exact words many times before, but this time, the emotion within them was different. No longer frustration or jealousy. They had fought together after all. Yuuto-kun wasn't so bad. If he wasn't so damn good looking, Issei could even call him a friend.

The Knight chuckled. "Let's go home."

"Agreed." Akeno-senpai started weaving a circle on the floor.

"You were amazing up there, Akeno-senpai," Issei said. "All of you were."

"You're the one who taunted Freed to give me a clean shot," she said.

"We're a team," Koneko-chan said. "If we win, we win together."

Issei nodded.

The magic circle flashed.

They arrived in front of Issei's house.

"You think it's safe?" Issei asked. "They could return to attack."

"It's fine, Ise-senpai," Koneko-chan said. "If they do, just call Buchou."

"Oh, right." He had her number.

"You're the only reason she even has a phone," Akeno-senpai said.

"What?"

"She bought that cell phone because she wanted to fit in," Yuuto-kun said. "But no one ever dared to talk to her so she never actually gave her number to anyone."

"But, what about you guys?"

"Magic communication circles," Akeno-senpai said. "We don't need phones."

"Oh."

"Anyway, we have to go," Akeno-senpai said. She summoned a new magic circle.

"Be safe, Hyoudou-kun."

"Good night, Ise-senpai," Koneko-chan added.

The circle flashed and they were gone.

Issei went inside, careful not to wake his parents.

He brushed his teeth, kicked his clothes off and collapsed on the bed.

When he closed his eyes, he felt his consciousness drift away immediately.

Not surprisingly, he saw Asia and Rias-senpai in his dreams, both with very little clothes on. At times, Koneko-chan and Akeno-senpai joined them as well. But there was something else. Something massive in the corner of his vision.

A red dragon.


	9. Chapter 9

Issei yawned.

"Rough night?" A voice asked

"Oh, hey, Ruruko-chan." She looked as cute as ever.

His fellow Pawn smiled. "I heard what happened last night. Not bad, Ise-senpai, not bad at all. Not many newly reincarnated devils would stand their ground against a rogue exorcist."

"I had a little help," Issei said.

"Yeah, you-"

"Ruruko-chan." Someone else joined them. A blond guy with blue eyes who looked vaguely familiar.

"Oh, Ise-senpai. This is Saji Genshirou, another Pawn." She seemed a bit flustered when introducing him.

"Don't compare me to him please," Saji said. "I consumed four pieces." He held up four fingers.

"Consumed?" Issei asked.

"You don't know?" Ruruko-chan said. "The number of pieces needed to reincarnate someone depends on their potential. Senpai has a Sacred Gear of Vritra inside of him, one Pawn wasn't nearly enough to resurrect him."

"Oh. Well I would have to ask Buchou how many pieces I consumed," Issei said.

"I'm guessing just one," Saji spoke his thoughts. He turned to Ruruko-chan. "Kaichou asked for us."

"Okay. See you around, Ise-senpai."

"Yeah, see you around."  
'I consumed four pieces'. Asshole.

Issei walked to the clubroom. Buchou really should have told him he only had one Pawn inside of him. Now she was just giving him false hope.

Did this mean that there would be seven more guys coming? He didn't like that idea. Kiba alone was enough trouble.

He entered without knocking.

Rias was just in the process of putting on her skirt. He could see her white panties. It was quite a sight.

"Sorry." Issei quickly turned around. His face had turned bright red. "I should have knocked."

"It's okay," Rias-senpai said. "There seems to be more going on than some lack of sleep."

"Uhm, yes, actually. Can we talk?"

"Of course. Just close the door please."

He closed the door. Buchou closed the zipper of her skirt.

"So," she said, as she sat down on the couch. "What's wrong?"

"I was just curious. Uhm… how many pieces did I consume?"

Buchou blinked a few times. "Where did you hear about piece consumption?"

"Is that important?"

"Not really. Actually, I was going to tell you this anyway. Might as well do it now."

"Tell me what?"

"Have a seat, Ise-kun."

He sat down.

"There is an anomaly in the Evil Pieces system called 'Mutation Pieces'."

"Mutation Pieces," Issei slowly repeated.

"Basically, during the process of their creation, several identical pieces can melt together creating one piece with the power of several pieces inside of it. About one in ten Kings has one."

"And I'm a Mutation Piece?"

"Even more special actually. Normally, Mutation Pieces form during their creation. But in my case, all eight of my Pawns melted together  _after_ I received them."  
"What?" All eight?

"I asked Ajuka-sama about it. He told me it was a strange anomaly and offered to switch them for eight normal Pawns. But I declined. I felt like this was supposed to happen."

"So, you… you used up all eight of your Pawns on me?"

"Yes, all melted into one piece. I tried a Knight first and that didn't work. So then I took out the Pawn and it seemed to resonate with your body."

"Holy crap… But, isn't that a waste? Maybe one single Pawn was more than enough?"

"Well, a Knight wasn't enough so it would have to be four Pawns at the very least. I didn't try my Rook though, maybe that would have sufficed. For some reason, I felt like this Pawn was made for you. But I have a theory if you're willing to hear it."

"Of course."

"Yesterday, you displayed a Sacred Gear upon promoting. After that, you were unable to summon it again."

"I tried this morning as well, it doesn't work. It's gone."

"I think that your Pawn piece is channeling the power. Upon promoting, it manifested the Sacred Gear inside your body."

"But, where would that Sacred Gear be… wait a minute. The dead guy in the park. He had a dragon tattoo."

"Yes. And a Twice Critical is often called a 'Dragon's Hand'. I think you took more than some physics knowledge from him."

"You mean to tell me that…"

"That you can copy Sacred Gears from others. Wouldn't that explain why a simple Knight wasn't enough to bring you back?"

"That's impossible."

"It seems pretty unlikely to me as well, but this explanation seems to make the most sense."

"But then… if I can take powers from others-"

"Ise." Her tone was very serious. "You should be very careful. We don't know how this power works. If you overuse it it is highly likely that you will damage your body or even kill yourself. Your body is not used to that kind of power flowing inside of it. This is most likely why your Twice Critical stayed dormant until you promoted. You need something to hold the power for you."

"I'll be careful," he promised.

"Besides, if it only works when you promote, you'll have to be in enemy territory."

"Good point."

"Now then. Our classes will start soon." She put on her blazer. "I'll see you tonight."

"Yeah, see you tonight, Buchou."

He left the clubroom.

Not much happened that day. Issei felt himself drifting off to sleep several times but he forced himself to stay awake. With his increased physics and biology knowledge, school was a lot easier now. Devils also had a 'language-ability' which allowed them to speak in any language they wanted. This was to make contracts with humans easier. Unfortunately, it did not work in writing.

When school was finished, he met up with Buchou and Asia-chan.

About half a dozen cardboard boxes were stacked in the clubroom.

"I had more stuff than I expected," Asia-chan explained.

"Let's go to your house," Rias-senpai said.

Issei still wondered how she would convince his parents to let her live there.

They jumped through a magic circle to his front door.

Buchou pressed the doorbell. His mom opened.

"Oh, Ise's girlfriend."

"I… I'm not his girlfriend," Asia-chan said.

His mom looked confused. "You have two girlfriends? Ise, isn't that a bit-"

"That's quite enough mom." Issei went inside. "We have to ask you something important."

His dad was in the living room.

Issei sat down on the couch opposite of him. Asia and Buchou sat down on either side of him. He noticed they were both sitting quite close despite there being more than enough room on this couch.

His mother sat down next to his dad.

"So," Issei said. "Rias-senpai wants to ask you guys something."

"Look," his dad said. "We know Ise is really perverted and we apologize for that, but-"

"It's not about that," she hastily said.

"Oh."

"This is Asia Argento, she's an exchange student from Italy."

"Italy? Wow."

"She's still not so good at Japanese," Buchou explained. "So we figured it would be best for her to live with a Japanese family. This way she can improve her skills much faster."

"That makes sense, but, you mean like,  _here_?" His dad seemed confused.

"Well, since Ise-kun speaks fluently Italian."

"He does? Since when?"

"Since always," Buchou said. There was something strange in her tone.

His dad's eyes went dreamy for a second. "Yes, of course," he said slowly. "That makes sense indeed." Then, he seemed to snap out of it. "But still, our son is a lustful beast. Are you sure it's a smart idea to let such a pure girl live here?"

"Hey, I'm your son," Issei said, but he was ignored.

"Ise-san helped me a lot since I came here," Asia said in rough English. She could not understand what his dad said, but she sensed the general emotion from the conversation. "It would mean a lot for me to live here, but if it's a bother we won't insist."

"Well, we're not saying no." His mother said. "We do have an empty room available."

"How about teaching her to be a housewife while she stays here?" Rias-senpai proposed.

"Wife?" The word was spoken by everyone at the same time. (Because of the language skill of devils, Asia could understand what Rias had said).

"Honey, we're gonna have a grandson," his dad said. He took the hands of his wife.

"Our failure of a son did it," she said. "That lustful beast…"

"Uhm, you know I'm sitting right here?" Issei reminded them, but he was totally ignored.

"Of course we'll take care of Asia-san," his dad proclaimed.

Unbelievable.

"Is this good?" Asia asked.

Issei translated their words.

"Ise-san is not a failure," Asia said. "He's a good person."

"She's such a kind girl," his mom said.

"We'll take good care of her," his dad promised.

"Thanks a lot," Buchou said. "I'll take my leave then."

Issei escorted her out.

"Being a housewife and being my wife are two different things, right?" He asked once they were out of range.

"What's wrong?" She said. "You don't want to marry her?"

"I didn't say that, but… hey, don't just decide that for me."

"Don't worry. While a devil can only have one legal wife, you can have a harem if you want."

"I haven't decided who is going to be the legal wife yet, don't go deciding it for me."

She chuckled. "Who else is on the list?"

"Well uhm, you." He might as well be honest.

Her expression changed. "You know I'm engaged."

"We'll see about that after I kick his ass. I won't let you marry someone you don't like, Buchou."

"That's very kind of you, but I don't think you're capable of beating him."

"You're right. I'll need some more training." But if he was capable of taking powers from others then…

"I was thinking the same thing actually," Buchou said. "How about we'll start training together in the morning?"

"That's a great idea actually."

"Great." She gave him a hug. "I'll pick you up at five."

"Okay." He waved at…

Wait, did she mean like, five in the morning? He couldn't…

But Rias-senpai was already gone.

Issei sighed and went back inside.

He helped Asia haul the boxes to the empty room. She seemed very happy she could live here.

He was certain Buchou had used some kind of hypnosis to convince his dad. He should ask her how she had done it. That kind of power could be super useful.

He imagined himself.

' _No mom, you did not see any magazines in my room.'_

' _Yes, of course, my son is not a lustful beast.'_

"So uhm, if you need anything, my room is over there," Issei said. This was a bit awkward.

"Thanks a lot," Asia-chan said.

"I'll uhm, give you some privacy."

Issei went to his room and let out his breath.

Sure, he wanted to save Asia, but that didn't mean she had to  _live_  here. His mom could have phrased it a little better, but she was quite right when she called him a 'lustful beast'. And Asia was such an innocent girl.

Issei looked around. He should probably clean his room just in case she actually did take him up on his offer and came to his room.

He was about halfway through when he heard a knock on his door.

Issei opened it. It was Asia-chan.

She was wearing the same as during the fight. A white tank top, panties and, Issei swallowed hard, nothing beneath it. Issei checked the clock. He had lost track of time in his cleaning it seemed. It was already quite late.

Given his lack of sleep the other night it was very strange he-

"I uhm…" Asia hesitated. "Never mind. I shouldn't have come."

She turned around and prepared to leave, but Issei put his hand on her shoulder.

"Wait." Her skin felt really warm against his fingers. "I uhm… we're friends, you can tell me if something is wrong."

She looked at him with her big green eyes. "I'm scared."

"Oh."

"Freed is still out there. So are Raynare and Dohnaseek. If they find me, they will be-" she swallowed hard. Her eyes were watering.

Issei pulled her to his chest. "You're safe here. No one can harm you here."

She put her arms around him. "Can I stay here tonight?"

Wait, did she mean in his room? Cause she was already staying in this house.

"Uhm, sure."

How on earth could he say no to that?

"Thanks."

She released him and entered his room.

"Sorry about the mess," he said, closing the door. "I was just cleaning up."

"It's okay."

"Is… well, it's okay if you don't want to talk about it, but-"

"Father Freed is very cruel." She sat down on his desk chair.

"How did you get there? I thought you were a Holy Maiden?"

"My parents left me on the doorstep of a church when I was born," Asia said. "I was raised there."

Issei listened wordlessly.

"At first it was okay. I displayed a Sacred Gear and became a Holy Maiden. From all over the world, people would come to be healed by me. It was fun, it really was. But, at a certain point, I healed someone who turned out to be a devil. The church didn't like that."

"So that's how you got there?"

"I was excommunicated immediately, they called me a witch. Father Freed found me and brought me here. If I behaved things were okay, but if I did anything to annoy one of them…" her voice trailed off.

"You're safe now. No one will ever mistreat you again. I won't let them."

"Your Sacred Gear. What is it?"

"Buchou thinks that I can copy the Sacred Gear from other people by touching their blood. When I use Promotion, the Evil Piece channels that power."

"And you agree with her?"

"It certainly seems to make sense. But I can't test it, can I?"

"Maybe," Asia said hesitantly.

"What do you mean? I can't just go into enemy territory to promote."

"Well, I'm not a devil, in fact I'm quite the opposite. So what do you think would happen if we went to the church and I attacked you?"

"I guess…" Could that work? Could they trick the system like that?

The church  _was_ enemy lines, but it only counted if there was an actual enemy there. Technically speaking, Asia was with the fallen angels. But would the system see it that way too?

"I guess we could try it," he said.

"Great. How are we going to go there?"

"You mean like, right now?" He already had some sleep to catch up on.

"I guess we could wait. But I don't think Father Freed will wait. He's probably very angry at me. And if he comes here-"

"I'll protect you."

"With what? Last time you were saved by Rias-senpai, but what if she's not in time the next time?"

She did have a point there.

"Ah, I'm sorry," Asia said. "I didn't mean to say… I'm really happy you want to help me-"

"It's okay. You do have a point. I'm too weak to help you." He needed to know more about these blood powers.

But he had promised Rias-senpai he would be careful. Shouldn't he tell her?

But would she approve of his idea?

Quite unlikely.

"We shouldn't go alone," Issei said. "The church is still enemy territory. What if they return?"

"You're right."

"I'll ask Buchou tomorrow. If we're going, we're going as a team."

She nodded.

Issei suppressed a yawn.

"You need some sleep," Asia-chan said. She stood up.

"I had a rough night. There was this girl I had to save."

She suddenly hugged him. Because she was still standing, his face was pressed against her chest.

Was this heaven?

"Sorry," she hastily released him. "I wasn't thinking." Asia-chan turned bright red.

"It's okay."

"I'm just so happy to be here, with you."

"Me too."

"Will you uhm, hold me tonight? I tend to have nightmares and I think that, if…"

"Okay."

She smiled.

His bed was big enough for two people. He wasn't sure why actually, cause his parents had never believed for one second a second person would be with him in this bed.

"I'll uhm, change into my pyjamas, if you don't mind," Issei said.

"Okay."

"I'll just, go to the bathroom." He grabbed his pyjamas.

This was a very strange situation. He was completely unsure of how to behave.

Issei went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and change into his pyjamas.

He really wasn't sure how he felt about Asia. On the one hand, he felt a bit like her big brother, but then when she sat there in her little tank top, suddenly incest didn't seem like such a big deal anymore.

When he returned, he found Asia sitting on his bed. She seemed unsure as well.

Issei sat down next to her.

"So, uhm…"

Her hand touched his.

Suddenly, the air felt very tense.

Their eyes looked.

He felt a strange desire to…

Asia hesitantly leaned closer. Issei did the same.

She was close, too close.

His heart was beating wildly and his palms were sweaty but she still held his hand.

They were now so close together he could feel her breath.

They both hesitated again, but then, Asia tilted her head a bit and kissed him.

It was a short kiss, but a kiss nonetheless.

His first kiss actually.

Her lips left him again.

"Wow," he said.

"I uhm…" Asia seemed even more hesitant now. Her face was completely flushed. "Let's go to sleep."

She quickly got under the covers and turned her back to him.

Either she was really embarrassed, or…

Hesitantly, he laid down next to her and put his hand on her belly.

She relaxed and shrugged closer to him.

"Do you regret doing that?" Issei asked.

"No," she quickly said. "I just. I'm a bit confused, Ise-san."

Well, she was not the only one. He had not intended to kiss her, it had just sort of… happened.

Neither of them knew what else to say, so they just stayed silent.

He wasn't sure how he had fallen asleep. All he could remember was that someone shook him awake in what felt like the middle of the night.

"Ise-kun, wake up."

He opened his eyes. He was looking up at a beautiful girl with crimson red hair.

"Rias-senpai."

"Morning sleepyhead," she said with a smile. "It seems you were too busy with other things to remember our training."

"Training?" Oh, right. Only now did he notice her magenta tracksuit. He had forgotten to put his alarm with Asia here.

Asia?

He looked at her.

She was still sleeping. She was incredibly cute when she was asleep. Awake as well of course, but, a different kind of cute.

"Nothing happened," Issei said.

"Nothing?"

"Well," he remembered the kiss. "Something happened, but not what you're thinking."

Asia stirred in her sleep.

"We shouldn't wake her up," Rias-senpai said, lowering her voice.

"Ise-san," Asia mumbled in her sleep. She rolled over and searched for him with her hands. When she found him, she laid her head on his chest and continued sleeping.

Rias-senpai suppressed a chuckle. "Seems like you have no choice."

She was right.

"Asia." He petted her head, hoping to wake her up like this.

"Too early," she complained. "I want to stay with Ise-san."

"Asia, you have to wake up."

She opened her eyes.

"Ise-san?" Asia pushed herself up with her arms. She blinked a few times.

Issei swallowed. Because she only wore a tank top with nothing beneath it, he could see straight down her…

"Oh," Asia seemed to realise the situation as well. "Sorry."

She climbed off him.

"Rias-senpai. Uhm, good morning." She was a bit flustered. "Nothing happened, don't worry."

"Nothing at all?"

She turned even more red.

Rias laughed. "Look, if the two of you want to kiss or have sex, you're free to do that. It's not up to me to decide who Ise-"

"We did not have sex," Issei said. Seriously, what was she thinking?

"So you just kissed then?"

Their silence answered the question.

"Didn't we have a training planned?" Issei asked.

"Indeed we did."

"Then I'll go change."

He stood up.

Issei noticed Rias-senpai had a canvas bag with her. She had put it on the ground near his bed.

Just what kind of training had she planned?

Issei shrugged and took out his own tracksuit. He went to the bathroom to change.

When he returned, he found Asia-chan in the progress of dressing. She was just closing the buttons of a white blouse with black vertical lines. Rias-senpai sat with her back to Asia-chan to give her some privacy.

"Sorry," Issei said.

"Don't apologize for entering your own room, Ise." Rias-senpai said.

"I… I don't mind if you see this," Asia said. Her blushing was becoming a habit. He could see her white panties and matching white bra. While she was a bit embarrassed about it, she did not seemed to mind that much if it was Issei. They had kissed just the other night after all.

"That is…" he looked at the magenta skirt on his bed.

Kuoh Academy uniform.

So that was in that bag?

"I pulled some strings," Buchou said. "She'll be in your class, so take good care of her."

"I'll protect her, don't worry."

He had expected Buchou to do something like this, but he had not thought she would pull it off so fast.

"So uhm, our training?" Issei asked.

"We'll start with running, and then some general things. Push ups and the like. But Asia-chan… any normal human would have a hard time keeping up with a devil, even if he is newly resurrected."

"She can use my bike," Issei said.

"Good idea."

"I uhm," Asia fidgeted a little.

"Wait, you never used a bike, did you?" For a moment she had forgotten how sheltered her upbringing had been.

She nodded. "I'll just make some tea for when you return."

"You sure you'll be okay?" Issei asked.

"I'm fine," she assured him. "You need to train."

"Okay then."

"And uhm, can you help me with this thing?" She seemed to have a hard time putting on the corset and the shoulder cape.

"I'll meet you downstairs," Rias-senpai said. She left them alone.

Issei was acutely aware of the tension between them as his fingers closed the buttons.

After their kiss last night…

Issei closed up the last button.

He picked up the shoulder cape and put it on her. They were close, too close.

"So, uhm, I'll be right back then." Issei said. He hesitated for a moment, and then kissed her on her cheek. She pulled him in for a short hug.

"Stay safe," Asia said. As if he was going to war or something.

Issei went downstairs. Rias-senpai was already waiting for him. She had put on pink running shoes.

Issei put on his running shoes as well.

"Things seem to be going well here," Buchou said.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

They started their running.

Issei immediately noticed running came a lot easier to him. His speed and stamina had drastically improved. Rias-senpai was right: a normal human would have a hard time keeping up with them unless he was a trained athlete.

Buchou however had no problem running.

Issei tried not to stare too much, but it was pretty tough on him. Her breasts bounced a little when she ran. Given their size, it was of course inevitable this would happen.

"Say uhm, Rias-senpai?"

"Hm?"

"Asia had an idea yesterday."

"Oh?"

He explained her plan.

Buchou was silent for a moment.

"That might work. I'm not sure actually. Promotion only works on enemy territory when there is an enemy present. That makes perfect sense of course, why would you promote if there is no enemy to fight?"

"Yes, but if Asia-chan pretends to be an enemy, could we trick the system?"

"Maybe. Only one way to find out. Are you free tonight?"

"I'm free every night."

"Good."

Although his stamina had improved, he was getting tired now. Maybe it was the morning sun that weakened him?

Issei guessed they had run about one kilometer now. At this speed, it made sense he grew tired.

"We'll circle back to the playground," Buchou said. "It's very suitable for pull ups."

"I know, I already did some there."

"Impressive, Ise-kun."

They met Asia back at the playground after some more running.

She handed him some tea.

A welcome rest.

"How is he doing?" Asia asked.

"Not bad," Rias-senpai said. "Not bad at all."

Buchou was not the least bit tired. She wasn't even sweating.

That's a high class devil for you.

She gave him a few more minutes rest and then they moved to exercises.

"Say Buchou. Shouldn't I learn some demonic powers as well?" Issei asked as he used all his strength to pull up.

"True. But it's best if you improve your base strength first. Demonic powers flow through your body and if your body isn't tough enough, you'll take internal damage."

"So physical training will also improve my magic?"

"Yes. There are even people who don't have demonic powers and can substitute with physical strength."

"Is that possible?"

"It's called 'Touki', some kind of external manifestation of your battle spirit. A special type of Senjutsu."

"That sounds complicated."

"Yeah. In any case, I'll ask Akeno to help you develop your demonic powers. She's the most qualified."

"I don't feel like she likes me," Issei said as he pulled up again.

"She just needs some time to open up."

"Speaking about time," Asia interrupted them. "We'll be late for school if we don't hurry."

Issei checked the time. She was right. He still had to take a shower to wash away this sweat, change into his uniform and have some breakfast.

"Let's finish this for today," Buchou said. "See you after school."

They said goodbye and went back home.

Issei prepared himself for school. They really had lost track of time.

"We'll be late if we walk," he said.

"I can't be late on my first day," Asia said.

"Don't worry, I have an idea."

He took her to the garage.

"This is your idea?"

"Well uhm, yeah."

"Okay."

The luggage rack turned out to be more than big enough for her.

Issei drove his bike to school while Asia sat behind him, with her arms tightly wrapped around Issei.

Issei could feel her small breasts pressing against his back.

Maybe he should wait a bit on learning how to teleport. And make sure he woke up a bit late every day.

She yelped when he drove over a speed bump.

Issei chuckled. After a short moment, she joined him.

They arrived safely at school, where he met two familiar looking guys.

"Traitor!" Matsuda proclaimed.

"This is Asia," Issei said. "She's a transfer student from Italy."

Motohama pushed up his glasses. "78-55-81"

He turned to Asia. "These are my friends, Motohama and Matsuda. They are a bit perverted, but-"

The bell rang.

"Crap, we'll be late."

They all hurried to class.

The teacher seemed to know about Asia already. Really, how did Buchou pull all this off?

He was slightly worried things would not work out, but during homeroom, it became obvious Asia would fit in well.

Halfway through class, someone entered the room.

It was Saji. He looked paler than usual. Was he sick?

"I have to borrow Hyoudou-kun for a second," he explained. "Important student council business."

"Uhm, okay," the teacher said. This was homeroom anyway.

Issei followed Saji outside.

What the hell was going on here?

Saji closed the door. "Have you seen her?"

"Seen who?"

"Ruruko-chan."

"Hm. I saw her yesterday. She's not here?"

"She did not arrive at school today. We tried contacting her, but no reply. Kaichou send me to her home to check on her."

"And?"

Saji looked at him. "Her parents told me she did not come home last night."


	10. Chapter 10

"This can't be a coincidence," Buchou said. Both peerages were in the clubroom. Apart from Saji, Sona's peerage consisted of five girls. He spotted a girl with two braids, a tomboyish girl with blue hair cut short (a Rook probably), a tall girl with incredibly long black hair and glasses (was that the vice-president?), a hot girl with lazy black curls and a cheerful girl with reddish-brown hair. Especially these last two were real beauties.

If Sona's personality wasn't so cold Issei would have guessed she was going for a harem.

"It's not a coincidence," Issei said. "We were in our uniform when we battled Freed. He knows exactly what school we go to. It has to be him. This is his revenge."

"How would he know she's my Pawn?" Sona asked. "We did not battle him."

"They could have tried taking a random student," Saji suggested.

"It's not a secret who's in the student council," Issei said.

"How would they know the student council are devils?" Saji asked.

"Your president is called 'Sona Sitri'," Issei said. "Don't you think an exorcist would recognise the name of a high class devil?"

"I'm listed as Shitori," Sona said. "But he makes a good point. Our names and pictures are on the website of the school, anyone can access them without trouble. It wouldn't be strange if someone recognised me or someone else. All they have to do is wait at the school entrance and follow Ruruko."

"We should have killed them all," Rias-senpai said.

"You tried your best," Sona said. "We should have assisted you."

"Then it would have looked like-"

"Who cares what it looks like?" Issei interjected loudly. "We should have gone in full force and killed them all. It's our fault Ruruko-chan was taken."

An uncomfortable silence fell.

It was broken by a strange sparking sound.

They all looked. On the coffee table, white light-sparks had appeared. They were forming a circle with strange patterns. It looked like the devil magic circles, but the alphabet was different.

"That's him," Buchou said. "Light magic."

The circle was finished. It cast a glow upward which formed two little holograms.

Issei recognised one as Freed and the other…

He narrowed his eyes. He had seen this guy before.

It was a tall muscular guy in a black priest uniform.

"Heya, little devils" Freed said. He flashed a disgusting smile and stuck out his tongue.

"You bastard," Saji said.

"Oh, he's a fierce one," Freed mocked him.

"I'm gonna kill you," Saji slammed his hand on the table.

"I think not," the second man said. He pulled someone else in the screen.

Ruruko-chan.

The twin tales were out of her hair and one eye was blackened. Her lower lip was cracked with fresh blood still welling up. Her clothes were ripped in various places and several buttons at the top of her blouse were missing. Issei could almost see her bra beneath it. Looks like she had put up quite a fight.

"She's a fighter," the priest confirmed. He put a light gun against her chin.

Wait. Now Issei recognised him.

This was the delinquent at the arcade. He looked different in a priest uniform with his hair combed back, but it was the same guy.

"She may have escaped last time," the priest continued. "But not this time."

So they had been planning this all along?

"What do you want?" Buchou asked.

"We want our dear Asia-chan back," Freed said. "We miss her terribly." He laughed loudly.

But Issei looked at something else.

Ruruko-chan was mouthing something.

_Fac… factory?_

The old factory where they had battled Viser?

Ruruko-chan winked with her good eye.

"We're not giving you Asia-chan," Buchou said.

Freed shrugged. "Then I guess we'll have to kill this lovely girl. John, go ahead and-"

"Wait," Issei said. "We agree." He tried to ignore the horrified look Asia threw him.

"What?" Rias-senpai said. "He will never keep his word."

"Such a lack of fate," Freed said. "Well, you  _are_  devils after all."

"Where should we take her?" Issei asked, ignoring the others.

"Have her come to the church, alone," Freed said. "Then I'll release your little Ruruko-chan. You have one hour. And don't try anything funny or I'll send her back in little pieces. And she's already so small, it would be a shame."

He broke off the transmission.

"Issei, what are you doing?" Buchou demanded.

"He knows where they are," Sona said calmly.

"You saw it too?"

"Yes. Ruruko mouthed something."

"Mouthed what?" Buchou asked.

"Factory."

"Factory? The old factory at the edge of town?"

"That does make sense," Issei said. "They released the stray devil there as well."

"So you were just buying time?" Rias-senpai asked.

"What do you think? That I would hand Asia-chan over to them? Of course they would never keep their word."

He saw Asia visibly relaxing. Buchou turned a bit red because she had doubted him.

"It won't be easy to get in there," Sona said. "They will have put up a barrier."

"I can get through," Asia said. "I know how their barriers work."

"Can you get all of us inside?" Issei asked.

She turned pale. "No. They… if I try that they will notice."

"How many can you take with you?" Buchou asked.

"One or two people with a low aura could work," Asia said. "I think. Maybe three if we're lucky."

"I'm going," Issei said.

"You can't handle him alone," Buchou said. "Ideally I would go with you, but they will notice my aura."

"We'll need a Sacred Gear user," Sona said. She pushed up her glasses. "Their auras are more dormant. Until they activate their Sacred Gear they are hard to detect."

"That leaves only two options then," Rias-senpai said. She looked at the two remaining boys.

So Yuuto's sword was actually a Sacred Gear?

Interesting.

"I'll go," Saji said. "She's my junior, I have to go."

"Can you get all three of them in?" Buchou asked.

"I-I'll try," Asia said.

"Okay then. Everyone get ready. We don't have much time."

Rescuing a damsel in distress did seem like a mission for the boys.

Issei saw Asia leaving the room.

He followed her.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"I have something to take care off," she said dismissively. "I'll be right back, don't worry."  
"Oh, okay."

"Sorry I was doubting you," she said, her hand moved to cast a green magic circle. "For a moment I thought you would hand me over."

"I would never do that."

Asia embraced him.

"You're safe," Issei said, patting her back. "I'm never letting you go again."

Asia pulled away from the hug. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

Their second kiss.

This one was longer, much longer.

Finally, she pulled back again. Her face was completely flushed.

"I have to go." She quickly stepped into the circle. "Be right back."

"Asia, I-"

The circle flashed.

 _Girls_ , he sighed.

"Having fun, are we?" A voice said.

He whirled around. "Akeno-senpai? I uhm, was just-"

"Corrupting such an innocent girl, tsk, Ise-kun." She moved closer.

"We were just-"

"Kissing, yeah, I noticed."

"I'm free to kiss whoever I want," Issei said.

"Of course, of course. And what does Asia-chan think about your plan to get a harem?"

"I… I haven't told her yet."

"Well I would get on with it, Harem King. You don't want to tell her on your wedding night, right? Or are you going to have secret affairs behind her back? Maybe a few mistresses?" There was a hint of seduction in her voice. She was coming closer and closer towards him.

"We're not getting married," Issei said.

"She sure looked like she was already planning the wedding in her head."  
"What's wrong, jealous?"

She momentarily flinched back.

"O-Of course not," she dismissed the idea. There was a faint blush on her cheeks. "In any case, Buchou asked me to train your demonic powers. Recent events have made it clear we have no time to waste on this." Her voice was very formal now.

"Good point."  
"We'll start tomorrow after school. If things go well tonight that is."

"Okay. Thanks, Akeno-senpai."

"There's no need to be so formal," she said. "We're in the same peerage."

"I… okay, Akeno-san."

She smiled. "I'll take that."

The Queen left him again.

What was that all about?

If only his blood absorption could take some knowledge on how to deal with girls.

Asia returned a few minutes later.

"Asia, that outfit…"

"Does it look weird?" She asked, unsure.

She was wearing the full length skirt and long-sleeved top of her nun-uniform. Her silver cross dangled on her neck.

"Why did you change?" Surely that full-length skirt made it much harder to fight in?

"I guess I feel more comfortable in this."

"Uhm, Asia-chan?"

"Yeah?"

"I uhm…"

"Are you guys ready?" Buchou asked. "Freed only gave us an hour, we should hurry."

"You're right. We should go."  
He went back inside the clubroom. You could feel the tension inside.

Three magic circles were being cast. One by Akeno-san and two by what Issei guessed were the Bishops of Sona's peerage.

"We're all going?" Issei asked.

"We're going to the factory," Buchou said. "Sona's peerage will go the the church. Once we've freed Nimura-san they will go inside. Someone should be waiting there for Asia."

"All of us are going to the factory?" Issei asked.

"We'll stay outside of their reach. But if there is a problem we'll go in as well."

"Ruruko-chan-"

"We'll do what we can to ensure her safety, Ise. But we don't know what Freed has inside. If the four of you die it's all for nothing."

Issei nodded. There was a lot at stake here.

But maybe he would get the chance to kill Freed this time. That coward was constantly hiding behind hostages. And when things got heated, he blinded them and fled. But maybe this time…

"You better start casting as well, Asia-chan," Rias-senpai said.

"Oh, of course."

She seemed to have momentarily forgotten that magic circles could only transport members of the same peerage.

The whole room was filled with magic circles now.

All of them took their positions.

Saji stepped alone into the smallest of the Sitri circles. He thanked the black-haired beauty for casting it. Issei noticed she blushed a bit when he did.

Did she have a crush on Saji?

The girl had nice curly hair and a quite sizeable chest. Of all the girls in Sona's peerage, she was one of the most gorgeous ones. It would be a tight race between her, the girl with reddish-brown hair and Ruruko-chan.

This second girl had a strange figure. He has seen hourglass figures before of course, but he had never seen a girl's body curve so much around her waist. And those breasts were-

The redhead caught him staring.

Issei quickly averted his eyes.

"Be careful," she warned him. "Exorcists are dangerous."

Was she speaking from experience?

"I'll be careful," Issei promised.

The circles all flashed.

He arrived at a reasonable distance from the old factory with the others.

"No time to waste," Saji said. He stepped forward.

"Hold on," Rias-senpai stopped them. She handed Issei a glowing red orb. It was about the size of a marble.

"Senpai?"

"Communication devices," she explained. "They won't go through the barrier, but you'll be able to communicate with Yuuto inside." She handed her Knight a similar marble.

"So a transceiver basically?"

"Yes, just touch your ear to activate it."

Issei nodded. He followed Yuuto's example and put the thing in his ear. It seemed to vanish inside.

"Those are used in Rating Games," Saji said.

"Rating Games?" Issei asked.

"We don't have much time," Yuuto reminded them.

"Right," Saji seemed to snap out of it. "Let's go."

They jogged towards the old factory.

"Stop," Asia said suddenly.

"The barrier?" Issei asked. They were only a few steps from the door now.

She nodded.

"I can feel it too," Yuuto said.

Asia raised her hand. Green aura spread out.

"Can you get us through?" Saji asked, impatient.

"I think so. It's a strong barrier."

"You can do it," Issei urged her.

Green sparks appeared before them.

"We won't have much time," Asia warned them.

"Just give us the signal."

" _Now_."

For a moment, they saw a semi-transparent forcefield flicker. A hole had been smashed in the middle.

They all ran through at full speed, only stopping when they reached the door.

"Did we make it?" Issei asked.

"Just barely," Yuuto said. "They shouldn't have spotted us. The distortion wasn't big enough for that."

"Great work, Asia-chan."

She blushed under his praise.

"Let's get inside," Saji said. He took two steps back and faced his shoulder forward, clearly intending to force his way in.

"Hold on," Yuuto raised his hand. "We can't alert them."  
"Then how do you suggest we get in?"

Yuuto turned the doorknob.

The door wasn't locked.

Issei suppressed a chuckle.

"Come on," Saji said, a faint blush on his cheeks. He went inside.

"I suggest we split up," Yuuto said softly. "This factory is too big."

With Viser, they had been attacked in the first room, but now, this room was deserted. And there were lots of doors here.

There were only two possible ways to split them. Issei and Yuuto had to be seperate since they were the only ones who could communicate.

"I'm not leaving Ise-san." Asia took his arm.

"That settles it then. Come on, Saji-kun." He looked at Issei. "Contact us if you find anything."

Issei nodded.  
Yuuto and Saji left for the nearest door on the left.

Issei and Asia went to the first door on the right.

They went inside a dark room.

The door slammed close behind them.

Issei tried to force it open, but it didn't bulge.

Someone clapped.

It sounded really creepy to hear one person applauding.

Freed stepped out of the shadows.

"I'm impressed you found me," he said, he turned his gun around in his hand. "Or were you just bringing dear Asia directly to me? How kind of you."  
"I'm never going back to you," Asia proclaimed with a sudden fierceness

"Oh, she's getting rebellious," Freed said in a mocking tone. He licked his lips. "This will be fun."

"Indeed," Issei said. "It will be really fun to kill you."

"I hope you're a fan of NTR, cause I don't plan on killing you just yet."

"My preferences are none of your concern." He raised his arm. "Promotion,  _Rook_." His red gauntlet appeared on his arm.

Asia looked at him with a confused look. "Ise-san? What is NT-"

A loud bang sounded. The bullet surged between them and hit the wall.

"Damn." Freed cursed. He aimed his gun more carefully.

Issei blocked with his red gauntlet. The light bullet bounced off.

"Tsk. We'll have to do this the old fashioned way it seems." Freed put his gun in his coat and took out two lightswords. They flickered to life with the characteristic blue-white glow.

"We should probably run," Issei suggested, even though he knew the doors were closed. Their mission was to save Ruruko-chan after all. Freed was just distracting them. For all they knew, Yuuto would need their help.

"I don't think so." Freed surged forward.

He could only block one of the blades. The other one scraped past his leg and opened it from his thigh to his knee. Fresh blood gushed out. He wouldn't be running anywhere with this.

Issei stumbled a few steps back. He fell on one knee. Excruciating pain was spreading from the wound to his entire leg. He couldn't even stand up.

He really needed a plan.

Issei made his wings appear even though he knew he could not yet fly.

There had to be something he could do.

"Oh, Asia, how nice to see you again," Freed said.

Asia seemed to be paralysed by fear.

Freed swung his blade.

She stumbled back, trying to avoid it, but she wasn't in time.

The blade made a vertical motion.

Her clothes were cut open. A small cut trailed from her belly upwards and then stopped. Fresh blood dripped out, but the wound was not that deep. Her bra was cut open as well. For a moment, Issei could see her belly and even a glimpse of her cute breasts, but the next, she yelped and covered herself up.

Freed stabbed his blade in the ground.

She tried escaping, but the crazy priest grabbed her throat and pushed her against the wall.

"Let's have some fun, shall we?" He held up her arms with his free hand. With the other one, he stabbed his second blade in the wall. This pinned her clothes to the wall. She struggled, but could not get loose.

"Now then." His hands moved down to peel away her clothes.

With supreme effort Issei pushed himself upright.

This was strange. His weight…

Oh. He looked and saw his devil wings glowing in a reddish light. He wasn't flying, but the wings were carrying some of his weight. This provided enough relief from his legs to stand up.

But this would not last long. Soon, his demonic powers would be depleted.

Issei picked up the lightblade that had been stabbed in the ground. He tried to stab it in Freed's back, but the moment he picked it up, the light vanished.

Issei stumbled forward. His sudden charge had lost its momentum.

With a sigh, Freed backhanded him across the room. Issei fell on his butt. The blade clattered on the ground.

Freed calmly picked it up. With a zapping sound the light appeared again.

Issei scrambled to his feet. This fight was going badly.

He quickly got back on his feet.

"Time to die, devil boy," Freed said. He stabbed Issei through the stomach.

Issei gasped for breath. It burned. It burned badl-

Wait a minute.

In a flash of inspiration, Issei grabbed Freed's collar with both hands.

He pulled hard which forced the blade to go in all the way. He ignored the pain. Issei leaned forward and bit Freed in his neck. Blood filled his mouth.

This wouldn't be out of place in a vampire movie.

Freed screamed. He kept hitting Issei with his fists until the devil boy was forced to release him. Issei stumbled back and fell down again on his back this time.

"You're crazy," Freed said. Which said a lot coming from him.

He heard Asia yell his name. She was crying and screaming furiously.

Hold on, just a little bit more. He scrambled to his knees and wiped the blood from his chin. The taste was disgusting. This plan better work.

His mouth and chin were burning. And now his hand as well.

He could only pray this would work. Wait, devils took damage when they prayed, so bad idea.

Issei touched the blade in his stomach. As he had expected, the light went out. More blood spurted out.

He pushed himself upright with all his remaining strength and held the blade with both hands.

This better work or he was screwed.

Please work.

"Promotion,  _Knight_."

His Twice Critical vanished and red light streamed out of the handle of the sword. It quickly formed a blade very similar to the one Freed used.

"What the fuck." Freed took a step back. For the first time there was fear in his eyes.

It worked. Holy crap it actually worked.

One strike. That was all he needed.

Issei jumped forward. His wings gave him extra momentum.

This time, his strike succeeded. The weapon buried itself in Freed's stomach.

The priest gasped for breath. In his surprise, he hadn't been in time to dodge.

After the strike, Issei felt his strength leaking out.

His vision started to blur.

The red light flickered and then went out. His wings vanished as well.

"Ise!" Asia screamed. She pulled with all her might and heard a ripping sound. With supreme effort, she managed to completely rip off her top which freed her.

She ran towards Issei.

"You little-" Freed grunted, but she gave him a roundhouse kick in his face.

The priest fell on his back and didn't move again.

She knelt down with Issei and started healing him.

Issei's seemed to relax a little when the green aura started healing him.

"Stay with me, Ise-san."

"Of course I'll stay with you." His vision cleared again. "I wouldn't want to miss this sight." He looked at the sister who was now naked from the waist up.

"Even now your pervertedness doesn't stop?"

He tried laughing, but only a grunt came out. "You'll need more than a crazy priest and a near death experience to stop my pervertedness."

"Well, for just this once you can stare all you want."

"I'll gladly take you up on that offer. Thank God for- ah." A sudden headache spike hit him.

"Devils can't-"

"Yes, yes, I know."

She continued healing him. The wound had now almost closed completely.

"I can heal you, but I can't restore the blood you lost," she said. "You'll need to rest for a few days."

"You think Buchou will find this a good excuse to skip school?"

"Maybe."

He looked at Freed who was now starting to move a bit. "Totally worth it."

He heard something loud. The door trembled.

Then, the wood splintered.

For a moment, he caught a glimpse of Koneko-chan's panties. White with blue orbs on them.

She climbed through the hole she had just kicked in the door.

"Everyone alright?" She asked, surprisingly calm.

"Uhm, I'm still alive. How is Yuuto?" He had not heard anything from him.

"The barrier is down so I think he's okay. Buchou is going to check on him."

She approached them. Freed was just pushing himself up on his arms.

"Stay down, idiot," Koneko-chan said. She kicked him in the face. His head slammed back against the stones.

She turned back to Issei.

"Very impressive," Koneko-chan said.

A hollow voice sounded in his ear.

[Everything okay here,] Buchou's voice said. [Nimura-san is safe. Lots of dead priests though.]

Koneko-chan seemed to have heard it as well. "It's over, Ise-senpai."


	11. Chapter 11

"Told you this was a good movie," Issei said at the third obligatory pantyshot.

"I must agree with him," Motohama said, he moved closer to the television. "This is great. Almost as good as Kaben Rider Pinky."

"What did you say you had?" Matsuda asked. His mouth was full of popcorn, but that didn't stop him from reaching for more. He threw a casual glance at Issei who stayed in bed, leaned back on a pile of cushions.

"Influenza."

Matsuda's hand stopped halfway to his mouth. He looked at Motohama.

"I think he's sick."

"Agreed," Motohama said.

"What's so strange about…"

Oh fuck.

"I mean uhm," Issei got flustered. "Flu, obviously."

Flu was just the shortened word for in _flu_ enza, nothing weird about that. Come on guys.

Matsuda shrugged and turned his attention back to the screen. After another second Motohama looked back to the screen as well.

Issei let out his breath.

He had to be more careful. Motohama and Matsuda were getting more suspicious every day, so showcasing his new knowledge was a bad idea. The old Issei did not know the full name of the flu.

While Koneko-chan had said it was over, that was not the complete truth. Freed had survived his wounds and was now locked up in the Underworld. People from the devil-side were interrogating him, but progress was slow. Freed loosed nothing of their plans no matter what they tried.

They only had the power transfer beacon to go on. It was obvious the fallen angels were planning to steal someone's power with that. Asia seemed a logical option, but that would not explain why they would go to such lengths. They had even released that stray devil as a distraction. None of that was necessary if they just wanted to take her Sacred Gear. But Freed had only demanded Asia, which was very strange.

His blood transfer ability was a second obvious possibility. However, Buchou insisted power transfer beacons only worked for Sacred Gears.

Then again, the fallen angels might have found a way to extend its capabilities.

His powers could be extremely useful. To Issei it was restricted to usage through Promotion, but Rias-senpai was convinced this was only a safety mechanism. If a human suddenly wielded power like that, his body would never be able to handle the strain. Promotion could temporarily sturdy his body and channel the power.

For knowledge this was less of a problem since his brain had 'plenty of empty space left' according to Rias-senpai. He had made a remark about that, and she had joked that most of his brain was filled with porn anyway and that maybe that part was just being overwritten. This possibility had concerned Issei for a second, but for now he had found no strange holes in his erotic memories. He remembered crystal clear when-

"Ise? Hey, Ise?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was lost in thoughts for a moment."

"You're missing the best part," Matsuda said.

He looked up. "Tentacles?"

"Why do you sound surprised?" Matsuda asked, confused.

"Huh? Nothing, I was just surprised we already got to that part," Issei quickly said. "I remembered it being much further to the end."

"You already watched it without us?"

Issei smiled. "Sorry."

"Traitor," Matsuda mumbled. He looked back at the tv.

Issei released his breath. Close call.

In any case, with enough training, it might be possible to use his powers without Promotion. If his body was strong enough, he should be able to do it. Probably.

Buchou had given him three days of bedrest. After that, they would resume their training. In the morning, he would do physical training with Rias-senpai (which sounded more erotic than it really was) and in the evening he would train his demonic powers with Akeno-san.

"He really is zoning out," Motohama said.

"Ah, sorry. I am sick you know?"

"Exactly," a new voice said. The light was turned on.

They all screamed.

"It burns," Matsuda yelled. He rolled over the ground trying to protect his eyes from the light.

"Visiting hours are over, boys," Issei's mom said. "My son needs his rest."

"Yes, madam," Motohama said. "We were just leaving."

"And turn off that crap please," she added, pointing to the screen.

They all looked at the tv which now showed a particularly explicit scene involving multiple tentacles and several screaming girls.

Motohama quickly pressed the remote and turned it off. "As I said, we were just leaving." He grabbed his bag and Matsuda.

"See you at school," he said. "Get well soon."

"Thanks."

The door closed behind them.

His mom threw him a very strange glance and then left as well.

Issei shrugged. His mom was right, he needed some rest. He had lost way too much blood in that fight.

He adjusted the pillows a bit so he could lie down.

Only a few minutes later, there was a knock at the door.

Issei pushed himself up. Who could that be?

"Uhm, Ise-san?"

"Asia? Come on in."

"Uhm, okay." The door slowly opened.

She got in and quickly closed the door again.

What the…

He rubbed his yes, absolutely certain he was dreaming.

Asia-chan was wearing a nurse outfit.

It was some kind of short one piece dress in pure white with little red crosses and hearts on it. It only fell to halfway her thighs. She combined this with darker white thigh-high socks that changed to pink at the top creating a zettai ryouiki. On her head was a white cap with a cross on it and a stethoscope dangled around her neck.

"Do I look weird?" She asked. Her hands were gripping the edges of her dress.

"No, you look cute," Issei said. "But, why uhm… where did you even get that?"

"Kiryuu-san lent it to me."

Of course. He should have known. That damn perverted woman.

"Do you really think I'm cute?" She asked.

"You have no idea."

Still a bit unsure, she spun around for him so he could see all of it. Issei could only stare at the skimpy outfit. Just the fact that it was the cute and innocent church girl who was wearing it made it all the more exciting.

"Given that you are sick, I thought this might help," she explained.

"Thanks, Asia. I already feel a lot better."

"Still, I should take your temperature," she said. She pulled out a thermometer from her pocket.

"You know I don't actually have the flu, right?"

Asia ignored him and pushed the thermometer in his mouth.

In order to do this, she had to get on the bed which confirmed his initial suspicions: she wasn't wearing a bra beneath that little dress.

Asia pulled out the thermometer. "38. That's quite hot."

"That's because you're here."

His brain only registered he had said that out loud several seconds later.

Asia blushed even deeper than usual.

It was probably her outfit. His leftover blood was flowing to the wrong side of his body which made it harder to think before speaking.

"So uhm…" She was unsure what to say.

"Asia, I uhm… I have to tell you something."

"Oh."

"Look, I really, really like you, but… well, there's…"

"You like Rias-senpai as well?"

"How do you know that?"

She shrugged. "It's quite obvious. I understand, Ise-san."

"No, it's… it's my goal is to raise up to a high class devil and get my own peerage. A girls only peerage."

"I don't understand."

"Well uhm," he scratched the back of his head. "A harem basically."

"Oh." She blushed. "I see."

"I know it's a stupid and unrealistic dream, but-"

"No," she quickly said. "No, I like it."

It was quiet for a moment.

Asia looked down. "I know I'm a stray nun and not a devil, but… could I…? I could be useful. My powers can heal devils as well, so…"

"You want to be part of my harem?"

"Well, yes, actually."

"But… Why would you want that? Don't you want a boyfriend?"

"I want you," she said. "You saved me so many times and you're so kind to me. I can't imagine my life without you anymore."

He did not know what to say to that.

"I admit," Asia continued. "For a moment I did have this silly dream that one day we would marry. But," she cast her eyes down again. "After the fight with Father Freed… It's a stupid dream, forget it."

"Why?" He took her hand. "Why did you give up on that dream?"

"Don't you see, Ise-san?" Her green eyes looked at him with determination. "You took his powers. You defeated a trained exorcist with basically no combat experience. You hadn't even been resurrected a week yet. With growth like that, you will one day become a high class devil. Sooner rather than later. You will get your own servants. Devil society will look up to you as a leader. They'll be counting on you. What do you think will happen if you marry a banished Holy Maiden like me?"

"I don't care what they think about me."

"You don't have a choice," she said. "Power breeds enemies, Ise-san. Father Freed tried to take mine and it's a simple healing power. If knowledge about your power spreads, enemies will flock here to try and take it from you. Or people who think you'll be a threat to them will try to kill you. Others might try to use you."

That did make sense. A power like this was bound to attract others.

"You'll need strong allies by your side," Asia continued. "You already have the Gremories, but you'll need way more than that. If you marry one day, it will have to be a political marriage. You'll never make it if you marry me. The devils will abandon you."

"Well, what if I stopped using it? No one would ever have to know."

"She escaped. I think the fallen angels already have a clue. Raynare was targeting you before. You have to use it to protect yourself, Ise-san. I don't want you to die."

Issei sighed. She had a point there.

The Sitri-peerage had attacked the church after their battle with Freed. The fallen angel named Dohnaseek had died during that raid. Raynare had escaped somehow. Considering the church was surrounded, she must have used some kind of secret tunnel. Given the huge basement, Issei wouldn't be surprised if there was some kind of emergency exit they didn't know about.

This fallen angel had to have some clue about his powers, or she wouldn't have approached him in the first place. Meaning that it was likely more fallen angels would hear about it. Especially because Raynare had now lost all her allies.

A peaceful life with Asia-chan was not an option. People would target him for this power. He would have to train it and rely on his allies to protect him. Some of those allies would not approve of him being so close with Asia-chan. She was a banished Holy Maiden after all.

"I can't be your wife or your girlfriend," Asia said. "But I can be your servant or concubine. If you'll have me?"

"I can't do that, Asia-chan. I can't think of you as a simple servant."

"Technically you're Rias-senpai's servant as well, right? But she doesn't treat you like one. She treats you more like family."

"So you'd be my sister then?"

"Not blood-related, obviously."

"Obviously," he confirmed.

She smiled.

"So uhm, as your servant, it's my duty to take care of you."

"Take care of me?"

"Let's see, I already took your temperature, so what's next? Oh, right, heartbeat." She put the plugs of her stethoscope in her ears.

"Uhm, okay."

Asia put the cold metal on his chest and listened to his heartbeat.

"And?"

"Uhm, it's fine, I think? I'm not a doctor."

"Well, I think we'll need a reference."

Issei took the metal disc from his chest and put it on hers.

She yelped when the cold metal touched her. The disc was at the point where her dress ended at the very top of her breast.

"And?" He asked.

"I-I can't hear it, you'll have to put it lower." There was a faint blush on her face and her eyes were avoiding his.

Issei swallowed hard. With a deep breath, he moved it down beneath the fabric.

"Lower," she said.

_Even lower?_

Issei fingers softly brushed past her breast as he pushed it lower.

"Just a bit more," she encouraged him.

"If I go even lower I'll…"

She looked at him. "I know."

If he went lower, he would reach the middle and…

She should be hearing her heartbeat without trouble at this point. Which meant she was probably just curious about how it would feel if he moved lower. To be honest he was very curious as well.

Issei took a deep breath and shifted the metal disc even lower.

Asia let out a very strange sound that was somewhere between a yelp and a suppressed moan.

"Sorry." He wanted to move it away, but she grabbed his wrist and stopped him.

"Do you want to listen to my heart?" She asked. "I can hear it now."

His throat felt very dry suddenly. Issei slowly nodded.

Asia pulled out the plugs and handed them to Issei who put them in his ears.

Now he could hear her heartbeat. It was beating quite rapidly (like his own heart). But as he listened, he could hear it slow down again. She was relaxing.

He could see her chest rising with every breath.

Asia-chan really was a beauty.

Their eyes locked.

Asia closed her eyes and leaned closer.

He heard a different kind of beating.

Was that his own heart?

"Someone at the door," Asia whispered.

Oh. Right, that sound was someone knocking on his door.

"Is this a bad time?" The female at the door asked.

_You have no idea._

"You should uhm…"  
His whispered words were not necessary. Asia had already stood up and walked to his closet. She hid herself inside.

When Issei was certain she was save, he said the girl could come in.

Ruruko-chan entered his room. She was dressed in her uniform, however, her top was replaced with a white T-shirt instead of the usual blouse with blazer. Like the ones they wore for PE. The green tube socks, twin tails with clippers in her hair and magenta skirt were all the same however.

Issei's trained eyes immediately fell on her boobs. For her age they were quite large. Were they larger than Asia's? It was hard to say.

For a moment, Issei was convinced she wore no bra, but he dismissed the thought. Of course she was wearing one. Although given how tight her shirt was he really should-

"Hey," she said in a cheerful voice.

"Hey," Issei said.

He spotted a slightly faded bruise around her eye among other minor bruises. "You okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine," she said. "I just wanted to thank you for saving me. Again."

"You told me where you were," Issei said. "Of course I had to go save you."

"Still, I wanted to thank you."

"It wasn't just me," Issei said.

"I know," she said, her voice became slightly dreamy. "You should have seen Yuuto-senpai and Saji-senpai. They were totally kicking ass even though they were outnumbered heavily."

"Sounds like you've got a little crush on them."

"What? Of course not," she dismissed the accusation quite unconvincingly.

"I've you've got a crush, just tell them. They won't turn down a cute girl like you."

"Like you've confessed to Rias-sama?" She said sceptically.

"Good point."

Ruruko-chan chuckled. "Don't worry, I… is that a stethoscope?" She looked at the black-metal object on his chest.

"Oh, yeah, to listen to my heartbeat."

"Why would you do that?"

"I lost a lot of blood."

"So you monitor your heartbeat with a stethoscope? Not with a watch or something, with a  _stethoscope_."  
"You're a smart girl aren't you?"

She smiled at being praised. "I heard from a very reputable source that Kiryuu-san and Asia-chan were talking during PE about-"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

She smiled again. "Is she hiding under your bed?"

"Of course n-"

Ruruko-chan quickly checked. "Well you are hiding something under your bed, that's for sure." She looked at the cardboard box.

"Don't touch that!"

"Calm down, Ise-senpai. You'll get your heartrate up like that." She stood back upright.

"Did you just come here to torture me?"

"Sorry," she said, her tone got more serious. "Like I said, I came here to thank you. I uhm… I wanted to give you a gift, but I didn't know what. Like, what could someone like you possibly want?"

"You really don't have to give me anything," Issei said. He had just done what any man would do. His cute junior was in danger,  _of course_  he would save her. Was there even an other option?

"Then it occured to me," she continued, ignoring him. "That you peeked on my class during PE. So you probably wanted to see some… things. I consulted with Kiryuu and she agreed with me. A pervert like you would only want one thing as a gift."

Kiryuu again. Unbelievable.

Hey, wait, what the hell was she going on about?

"So uhm…" she hesitated. "Considering you did not see them last time, I thought I'd-"

She took the hem of her shirt.

"Are you sure about this, Ruruko-chan? You really don't have to…"

"Just for a second, okay?"

"Okay." As if he could say no to an offer like that.

She smoothly pulled up her shirt confirming that she was indeed wearing nothing beneath it.

Wow.

Ruruko-chan held it for about two seconds before quickly pulling her shirt back down.

"I uhm…" She stammered.

"Thank you, Ruruko-chan. That really was the best gift you could have given me." Holy crap she was hot.

She smiled with a faint blush on her cheeks. "Thanks, Ise-senpai. I have to go now. Kaichou has work for me." She leaned in and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "Get well soon, we all miss you terribly."

Ruruko-chan left his room. She closed the door behind her.

He really started to like Ruruko-chan.

"That was quite unexpected," Asia said. She sat back down on his bed.

"Asia-chan! I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay," she calmed him. "You did say you wanted a harem."

"Yes, but, that… doesn't mean I should…"

"Ise. Getting close to Ruruko-chan might one day win you the support of Sona Sitri in a battle. Even if you wanted to, you can't turn her down. Your survival depends on it."

"That's… well, I guess that's one way of putting it." That was a bit of an extreme view. Surely Sona Sitri would help him even if he-

"Were they bigger than mine?" Asia suddenly asked. "I know I'm not that-"

"Asia-chan, are you jealous?" He teased her.

"Of course I'm jealous!" She snapped.

Wow, calm down. It was just-

"Sorry," Asia said, her face was bright red. She clearly hadn't intended to say it like that.

"She's gone now," Issei said. "I'm all yours again."

Asia smiled. She took the stethoscope from his hand. "Where were we?"

A crimson light lit up next to his bed.

A magic circle. He recognised it immediately.

They could not catch a break, could they?

Rias-senpai stepped out of her circle.

Buchou's eyes widened when she saw Asia-chan in her skimpy nurse outfit. It probably didn't help that Asia was on her hands and knees hovering over Issei.

"Oh," Buchou said. "Bad timing it seems. Maybe I should have teleported outside and knocked."

"You think?" Issei said sarcastically.

"It's okay," Asia said. "I'll be in my room." She got up.

"Asia," Issei tried stopping her.

She left his room and closed the door behind her. Issei would have gotten up and ran after her, but getting up was a bit hard at the moment.

"Sorry," Rias-senpai said. "I really didn't mean to barge in like this. I just kind of forgot you-"

"It's okay," Issei said. "Any news?"

"I just wanted to check up on you. You feeling better?"

"I feel weak, but that's the blood loss. Should be better in a few days tops."

"Good. It could have been much worse than that. Freed is a trained exorcist."

"Has he talked yet?" Issei asked.

"Nothing."

"Damn."

"I think they were after you," she said.

"Maybe." He had sort of reached that conclusion already. The only question was why? If they couldn't actually take his power, than what did they want? Kill him?

"In any case," Rias-senpai said. "The Sitri peerage is tightening the security of this city. We have to find that last fallen angel."

"I doubt we'll find her."

"Yeah. It would be very stupid of her to try anything all by herself. Especially after you beat Freed."

"You think she'll find more help with the fallen angels?"

Buchou shrugged. "Their Governor-General denies any involvement. According to him they are a group that went rogue, no longer part of Grigori."

If Issei remembered well, Grigori was the largest organisation within the fallen angels.

"I would do the same. Considering I am a devil now, any attack on me is also an attack on the devil side."

"Exactly. And he won't provoke us without a proper reason, that would gain him nothing. But whether or not he gave the order is not relevant. We can't prove any of it. The fallen angels were the first ones to retreat from the Great War and they are still very strong with most of their leadership intact. The devil side will do anything they can to avoid more conflict. Without solid evidence, we're in a deadlock."

A magic circle appeared next to her ear. Rias-senpai quite suddenly tensed up.

"They want us to do  _what_?"

"What's wrong?" Issei asked.

"Nothing," she said. "I need to go. Something came up." She turned to the door.

" _Senpai_."

She sighed. "We've been contacted by Heaven," she said without looking at him.

"Heaven?" What the hell did the angels want with them?

"They want us to hand over Freed."


	12. Chapter 12

The light spear pierced her right wing. Raynare cursed. This was going badly.

Blood was dripping down on the road.

With the barrier in place, she could not use magic circles to teleport. Her only chance was to get out of this barrier. And she'd better be quick about it.

She spotted an empty office building and went inside. More light spears raced after her.

There wasn't much time.

She ran for the door that lead to the staircase.

Raynare had just closed it when two spears hit it with a loud bang. They burned two small holes into the wood.

Using her wings, she jumped from landing to landing.

When she reached the second floor, she heard the door burst open on the ground floor. Her pursuers were coming.

Although she was breathing hard and her damaged wing made it difficult to steer properly, she kept running. With every landing, she got more desperate.

Finally, she reached the top floor and pushed open the door. Her breathing was ragged by now and she could feel her lungs burning. Her legs and wings were shaking from the effort. But she had no time to rest. They could be here any second.

As if on cue, the elevator pinged and the doors slid open. Four fallen angels ran out.

"Fuck."

Raynare ran to the window and jumped out. The glass scattered and cut her in various places, but she ignored it. With desperately flapping wings, she went up.

The rooftop would not help her. She only had one chance.

Raynare flapped even harder. She did not know what fueled her wings anymore. Desperation maybe? Idle hope?

Whatever it was, it kept pushing her upward, higher and higher.

Then, she finally spotted it. A semi-transparent shield.

The edge of the barrier. If she made it through, she could teleport away. Just a bit more. She could almost reach out and-

A second light spear pierced her other wing. She dropped a few metres before she could recover. Her wings flapped furiously to keep her in the air. When they were pierced it was hard to channel her powers.

Raynare looked. Half a dozen more light spears were racing for her.

She folded her wings and let herself fall down. This way, she evaded the deadly projectiles.

However, this time, she did not fold them back out.

She would never make it up there without being hit again. And even if she reached it, she still had to break through and teleport away. Clearly, this would not work. Which left only one other option.

The spears missed her by a wide margin and hit the barrier. The shield flickered for a moment and then restored itself.

Raynare kept falling.

She saw more fallen angels waiting for her on the ground.

Raynare chuckled. Idiots.

They assumed she would stop her fall, land and then try to outrun them.

But being their prisoner was worse than death. Far worse.

Raynare closed her eyes and waited for the sweet embrace of oblivion.

Then, suddenly, strong hands closed around her waist. Her fall slowed and then stopped.

What the…

Raynare opened her eyes again. She was hovering in the air.

A female fallen angel was flapping her wings furiously to keep their combined weight in the air. It was a blonde woman with some resemblance to Mittelt, only much older and less gothic.

"Sorry," the woman said. "We were ordered to bring you in alive."

That bitch.

Raynare made a fist and hit her in her face. Her concentration was interrupted which caused them to fall down again.

Raynare's hands clawed open the woman's face.

The blonde fallen angel screamed. "Stop doing that, we-"

She looked down. The ground was dangerously close now. There was no time left to pull up. Only one thing left to do.

She jerked hard to turn them around.

Both of them crashed on the pavement. Stone split beneath them.

Raynare pushed herself upright and spit out a mouthful of blood.

That stupid woman had-

Fuck.

Before they had crashed down, the blonde woman had shifted their position so that she was on the bottom. She had broken Raynare's fall with her own body and… from the amount of blood it looked like she hadn't survived that.

Raynare touched the woman's throat to feel a heartbeat that wasn't there anymore.

Why? What kind of loyalty was that?

Or maybe it was fear. Yeah, that was more likely. After all, when Raynare had realised she could not escape, she had tried the exact same thing.

This bitch had stolen her escape plan.

More hands grabbed her and roughly pulled her arms behind her back. She felt cold steel locking around her wrists.

They dragged her away from the dead fallen angel and threw her in the back of a van.

The van started moving immediately. Raynare was thrown around every time it made a turn. She tried kicking the door, but it didn't bulge.

If only the devils had caught her, she might have submitted to her fate, but when she considered what her own superiors would do with her, she got the shivers.

Maybe if she bashed her head strong enough on the floor she could kill herself before they reached him? But then again, she might just lose consciousness and waste an escape chance. Better to wait a bit more.

The car finally stopped.

The doors were thrown open.

Two male fallen angels pulled her out. Once she was on her feet, she bashed her head against one of them and tried to make a run for it. However, the second one grabbed her hair and pulled her back. She screamed loudly and tried kicking him, but it was no use. He was too strong.

"That bitch broke my nose," one of them complained.

"Stop whining," the other said. "I heard William wants to use her as a test subject for stage three. So you'll get your revenge."

Raynare went pale.

S-Stage three? What the fuck were they thinking?

She struggled even harder, but the man gave her a punch in her stomach which forced all the air from her lungs.

"Stage three huh?" The other pushed her in the back forcing her to stumble forward. "I can't wait for that. We'll have lots of fun with you, little crow."

"You're insane."

"We prefer the term  _psychotic_ ," the first one said. He still held a fistfull of hair, which made it difficult to try another escape. She had wasted her last chance. Once inside, she was doomed. No more escape chances.

They pushed her through the door.

She might as well submit to her fate now.

Raynare knew this room, even though she had only been here once before.

There was only a large oakwood table here with chairs around it. The chairs were tall with velvet red cushioning.

Opposite of the double doors was a fireplace were a single man dressed in black stood. Her heart skipped several beats when she saw him.

She had only met him once, but once had been more than enough to instill fear inside her body.

He was extremely tall (her own head only reached to his broad chest). From his back sprouted a single set of grey wings. They were not the black or dark grey ones of a fallen angel. These were light grey, as if they had been white once, but were covered with a layer of dust now. Between these wings was a quiver. The arrows had feathers that were either pure white or black/grey. Fallen angels or angels who had opposed him. Or failed him, like she had. It was very likely he would pull out her wings for her failure.

According to popular legend, pulling out a fallen angel's wings was, apart from humiliating, also physically the most painful thing you could do to them. She would soon find out if that was correct.

His bow stood against the wall. It was a large black compound bow, like the ones used in competitions. Once, he had a special bow made for him by God himself, but that one was gone now.  _Devoured_  to be precise.

They semi-dragged her around the table to the man's left side. There, they kicked her legs under her which forced her to kneel. As if their difference in height wasn't big enough already.

"So," the man said, not taking his fierce blue eye of the burning fire. "You failed me."

She knew it was pointless to convince him, but she tried anyway. Hope was all she had left after all. "I tried my best, that boy-"

"Your goal was to seduce him," he said with a sinister calmness. "You failed. Being the generous Lord that I am, I gave you a second chance. All you had to do was wait at the church until they brought you the sister. And even that you couldn't do. You disappoint me, crow."

"The devils-"

"You should have stayed there and fought them, like your little friend."

"I would have died."

"Indeed. A punishment not big enough for your failure, I agree. I'm glad you did not die, crow."

He turned towards her. Now, she could see the scar. It ran from his right cheek diagonally up through his right eye. That eye had turned milky white. He had gotten it in the same fight where he had lost his original bow. The only fight he had ever lost.

"Stage one has failed," the man said. "Stage two failed as well. Maybe you'll be useful for stage three."

"You can't do that!" She yelled as if it made any difference.

He laughed. "Of course I can. Who's going to stop me?"

"Caleb."

He kicked her in the face with his heavy combat boots. The single kick sent her sprawling backwards. She felt her mouth fill with fresh blood.

"Take her away," he said calmly. "Valper will be very pleased with this new test subject."

She did not resist as the men grabbed her and dragged her across the floor. It was no use anyway. She was already dead.

No. She was not dead. This was worse. Far worse.

Stage three.

* * *

_[Wake up, Master. Wake-]_

_Issei slammed the button of his alarm clock._

_He had enough of lying in bed. It was time to get up and do something._

_He got on his feet and put on his tracksuit. He didn't feel weak at all. In fact, he felt very strong. Stronger than usual._

_Issei went downstairs. Strangely, the light were on. Was Rias-senpai already here?_

" _Good morning," a voice said._

" _Asia-chan?" What was she doing here so early?_

" _I made you breakfast," she said, smiling broadly. She was still in her usual nightwear: a white tank top and panties. Somehow, her breasts seemed bigger than usual. He would guess she was wearing a push-up bra, but she was obviously wearing nothing beneath that little top._

" _When did you get up?" Issei asked._

" _Uhm, a while ago."_

" _Oh."_

" _Are you feeling better?" Asia asked._

" _Yeah. It's all thanks to you, Asia."_

_She blushed. It really was becoming her habit._

_While she had taken off the nurse uniform after his conversation with Rias, she had continued to act like a nurse. When she wasn't at school, she took care of his every need. Well,_ almost _every need._

" _Say, Asia-chan," Issei said. "You really didn't have to do this. I'm alright, I can make my own breakfast."_

" _What are you talking about, Ise-san?" She blinked a few times. "I'm your servant."_

" _Huh?"_

" _Ye, we talked about this, didn't we? Have a seat, Master, your breakfast is getting cold."_

…

_What the-_

_What the hell was she going on about?_

" _What's wrong?" Asia asked. "We talked yesterday and agreed that I could be your slave. Have you changed your mind?"_

" _Uhm, I-" Issei hesitated. Something very strange was going on here. They had indeed discussed something along those lines, but he seemed to remember it slightly different. Or was he remembering wrong? It had been a pretty vague conversation, so technically speaking it was possible Asia had interpreted things a bit differently. But had they really decided she would be his-_

" _You want your dessert first, don't you?" Asia said in a sultry voice. "That's no good, Ise-kun. You should eat your regular meal first."_

" _A-Asia?"_

" _Fine, fine. I'll give you a little appetizer." In one smooth motion, she took off her top._

_Issei swallowed hard._

_Topless, she graciously walked up to him and sank to her knees. Her hands reached up to open his-_

" _Ise-san?"_

_Huh?_

_Where was that voice coming from?_

_Anyway, she was reaching up to-_

" _Ise-san?" Someone shook his shoulder._

_No. Stop it. He didn't want this to stop. She was going to-_

"Ise!"

Issei opened his eyes.

He let out a scream and jerked upright.

What the…

Oh.

Right. A dream.

Asia looked very frightened. Her tank top was back on. Well, more accurately, she had never actually taken it off.

"Is everything alright, Ise-san?" She asked, deeply concerned. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Asia actually looked the same. "I uhm, I had a strange dream," Issei said. Holy crap. He tried to force his heart to calm down.

"I see." She avoided his eyes.

"What's wrong? Why did you wake me up?" It occurred to him he still had a day of bedrest left. There was no reason to wake him up.

"I made you breakfast," Asia said.

"Oh." His ears started burning. This wasn't going to go down that route, was it?

"And I wanted to put it on your nightstand for when you woke up," Asia explained. "But then I saw you were mumbling things in your sleep and you were moving around. I was scared."

"What was I saying?" He asked. He tried to make his question sound casual, but was only moderately successful. His body was calming down though.

"Strange things," she avoided. He noticed her face was getting red. "I didn't really know what to do. It looked like you were in pain, so I woke you up. I… I really shouldn't have, I-"

"It's okay. Don't worry about it."

A silence fell.

"Say, Asia-chan. What you said yesterday…"

"What about it?"

"Did you mean what you said about being my…"

"I'll be whatever you want me to be, Ise-san," she said.

"I see."

So… what did he want her to be?

On the one hand he felt a desire to protect this innocent girl, as if she was his little sister. But on the other hand…

After this little dream it was hard to deny he was not attracted to her in other ways as well. Slightly more perverted ways.

Why was this so hard?

"You don't have to answer that straight away," Asia said. "I can wait."

He swallowed hard. "You'll really be anything I want you to be?"

"Yes," she said. It was the first time he had heard her say something so confidently. "Anything you want. A little sister, a servant, a bride, anything. Even if…" her confidence leaked away as fast as it had come. She took a deep breath. "Even if it is something perverted."

"Where did you get that idea?" He had the strange suspicion he had mumbled some stupid things in his sleep.

"Uhm, well, yesterday I came in while you were asleep and… I really didn't mean to, but… there was this cardboard box I saw and…"

Oh fuck. Ruruko-chan had pulled it out from under his bed the other day and she must have forgotten to put it away properly.

"I really didn't mean to peek," Asia said. "I was just curious what was inside."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not," she said. "I should respect your privacy."

"Curiosity is not a sin, Asia. A church girl like you should know that."

"Still-"

"I've got no secrets for you, Asia. You just discovered something I was going to tell you about anyway." Sort off. Eventually.

She looked confused for a second, and then she nodded, satisfied with his answer.

"Come on, we'll be late for school," Issei said.

Asia nodded again. "Wait,  _we_?"

"Yes,  _we_. I'm tired of lying here."

He got out of bed.

"Are you sure you're better?" Asia asked.

"Well if you really insist on putting on that nurse outfit again."

She turned bright red. "I-If you really want me to, I could-"

They were interrupted by a sparking sound.

A little magic circle appeared on his nightstand, next to plate containing his breakfast.

"Am I interrupting?" The voice of Rias-senpai asked.

"It's okay," Issei said. He appreciated she did not burst into his room like last time.

A little hologram was cast by the magic circle. "I'm glad you're already awake."

"Any news?" Issei asked.

"You could say so. Can I come pick you up in say fifteen minutes? I'd like to show it to you."

"Alright."

"Should I come as well?" Asia asked.

"Of course," Rias-senpai said. "You're one of us. Unless you don't want to come?"

"I want to go with Ise-san."

"Good. I'll come pick you up in fifteen minutes. Make sure you're ready."

"Okay," Issei said.

She broke off the communication.

"Sounds like something happened," Issei said.

"We should get dressed," Asia agreed. "I'll be right back."

"Asia."

"Yeah?"

"I… Never mind. We should get ready."

She nodded and left him.

Issei got out of bed. He could not ask her that. She would definitely read it wrong. Not that he would really mind that, but…

Why was this so hard?

But there were other things to worry about now. Rias-senpai would be here soon.

He decided to put on his school uniform. He wasn't sure how long this would take, but he was determined to go to school afterwards. He didn't really want to go, but it was important he kept his cover. The longer he was absent from school, the more people would start asking annoying questions.

He finished putting on his uniform and took the plate Asia had put on his nightstand.

She really had made a delicious breakfast for him. Such a nice girl.

Asia came back a few minutes later, in her uniform as well.

"Have a seat, Asia," Issei said, patting the spot next to him. "You should have some breakfast too."

She nodded and came sitting next to him on the bed.

"What did you want to ask me before I left?" Asia asked.

"Nothing important."

"It sure sounded like you really wanted to ask something."

"I… we should hurry. Buchou can be here any moment."

There was still some time, but he really didn't have the courage to talk about that right now.

They continued to eat in a slightly awkward silence.

Buchou came a few minutes later. She teleported outside of his room and knocked.

Issei let her in.

Rias-senpai was dressed in her uniform as well. She seemed a bit stressed out.

"Do you know the Suntrust building?" She asked Asia.

"Uhm, no."

"Hold on, I'll give you the coordinates."

She wrote something in the air using magic. The red devil symbols floated towards Asia.

"Got it," Asia-chan said.

It really was annoying Asia could not go with them through their magic circles. And Issei could not cast one. He really had to get started on his magic training.

Asia and Buchou started casting their magic circles.

"Is it bad news?" Issei asked.

Buchou shrugged. "Hard to say."

"You seem stressed out."

"Just wait until you see it."

She finished casting her magic circle and beckoned him closer.

Issei came to stand next to her.

Their circles activated at the same time.

He blinked against the early morning sun. They had teleported straight into the sunlight.

Issei looked around. There were several apartment buildings around them. Most of them looked deserted with several windows smashed and cracks into the walls.

They followed Rias-senpai inside the biggest one. He guessed it was an office of some kind.

In the hallway, they saw Sona Sitri and her Queen, Shinra Tsubaki. Something was lying next to them on the ground.

What the…

When he came closer he could see what it was: the dead body of a woman.

She was lying in a small pool of blood. But the strangest part by far was that someone had stripped her completely naked. If she weren't dead, it would have been a gorgeous sight because it was quite a hot woman. She had short blonde hair, blue eyes and a very impressive chest.

"Strange of you to bring your Pawn and the sister, Rias," Sona-senpai said.

"I have a feeling he might be useful," Buchou said.

"I wouldn't know how," Issei said.

"I'll just tell you what we know then," Tsubaki-senpai said. "She died because of a head trauma. We haven't been able to confirm it yet, but it looks like she fell from the building. We found signs of a fight on the top floor. Blood and burn marks from light spears. Similar signs on the staircases and outside. She was either thrown or fell down."

"And then someone took the effort to strip her naked and drag her inside?" Issei said. "Strange."

"Not just that." Tsubaki-senpai crouched down and turned the body around.

"Holy crap."

On the girl's back were two small black stumps covered in blood. Someone had cut off her wings.

"So this begs the question," Issei crouched down with her. "Did they cut off her wings and throw her down, or were her wings removed afterwards as a trophy of some sort?"

"I'm guessing the second," Tsubaki-senpai said. She seemed very impressed with Issei's analysis. "Why else would they bother to drag her inside?"

"It's a sign," Issei said. "They knew we were looking for Raynare so it's logical to scout empty buildings. If they left her outside, odds were a passerby would have found her and then the police would have asked themselves some annoying questions. They must have wanted us to find the body without exposing the existence of fallen angels to the police."

"That was my thought as well," Tsubaki-senpai said. Their eyes locked for a second. "But that begs the question, why was she stripped naked? What are they trying to tell us?"

"It looks like punishment… oh fuck."

"What?" Tsubaki-senpai asked.

"I think I know why Freed isn't talking. We have to check the blood upstairs. Compare the DNA. I think it's Raynare's blood."

"How are we going to get her DNA?"

Issei stood up and turned to Rias-senpai. "What was the hair color of the other fallen angels you fought at the church?"

"Uhm, let's see. One was blonde and the other… had blue hair I think."

"See if you can find a hairbrush with black hair. Raynare lived at the church for a while and had to leave in a hurry. She could have left it there. Then we have her DNA."

"Good idea."

Tsubaki-senpai stood up. "So you think Raynare was captured here? By her superiors?"

"Yes. And this fallen angel somehow failed them so she was punished like this. This is why Freed won't talk. He's afraid of what will happen to him if his superiors get their hands on him."

Tsubaki pushed up her glasses. "Which means we are dealing with a powerful opponent. If they can scare a trained exorcist even when he's locked up, it would have to be a leader of the Grigori, at the very least."

"Told you he would be useful," Rias-senpai said.

"That still leaves eight Grigori-leaders," Sona Sitri said. "And maybe some others are involved as well."

"Still. They must have some clue about this. I don't think all eight of them want to start another war," Rias-senpai said.

"True," Sona-senpai replied. "But there's no way to tell which ones we can trust."

"I suggest we don't jump to conclusions," Tsubaki-senpai said. "This is all speculation. We better wait for the DNA analysis to confirm Hyoudou-kun's theory before we take any action."

"Agreed," Sona Sitri said.

If the fallen angels had captured Raynare it was likely she knew too much. As Issei had already guessed, Raynare and Freed were just pawns in a far greater game. If they worked alone, Freed would have spilled the beans by now. There would be no reason to keep quiet unless more was going on.

"We'll do the analysis of the blood," Sona-senpai said. "Can you guys get a sample of that fallen angel?"

"We'll take care of it," Buchou said.

"Good."

Sona-senpai and Tsubaki-senpai left them.

This Queen sure was a smart girl.

"Say, Ise-kun," Rias-senpai said with a smile. "You're not busy are you?"

"Well, uhm…"

"Good. I need you to go to the church to get a sample. And take Asia-chan with you."

He had already sensed this was coming. "Alright, alright. I'll take care of it."

"I knew I could count on you," she smiled. Buchou cast a magic circle for him. "By the way, Akeno expects you after school for your first magical training."

"So I'll finally learn how to cast magic circles?" He asked, hopeful.

Buchou shrugged. "That's up to her. She can be pretty strict, but I'm sure you'll manage." She smiled again.

He remembered Akeno-san electrocuting Viser with a sadistic smile on her face.

Issei swallowed hard. This might be a little less fun than he had hoped.

For some reason, he pictured Akeno-san in a leather outfit with a whip trying to train him in-

The magic circle activated.

He arrived at the church. A chilling feeling immediately took hold of him.

Asia teleported next to him a few seconds later.

"Something wrong?" Issei asked. She looked a bit apprehensive.

"Bad memories," she said.

"Oh." Right, that made sense.

"It shouldn't take long," Issei said.

Asia nodded. She pushed open the doors of the church and went inside. Issei followed her.

With resolute steps, Asia walked to a room in the back. It seemed to be some kind of office.

Several rucksacks had been put up against a large desk.

"The grey one is hers," Asia said. "They keep everything inside in case they have to move quickly."

Issei opened the bag and rummaged through it. Most of it was spare clothing. There was normal clothing and then there were the weird leather fetishes. Maybe he should take them for Akeno-san? She would surely love them.

Although, maybe he shouldn't encourage her sadism.

He found a little bag. Inside was a toothbrush and…

"Aha." He pulled out a hairbrush.

"Perfect," Asia said. "Can we go now?"

"Just a bit more. Maybe something else is in here. We might find a clue as to what they are up to."

"I really don't think…" She noticed his expression changing. "Did you find anything?"

"Yeah. I think so." He pulled out a little black notebook.

"What's that?"

"Maybe it's her  _Death Note_ ," Issei joked.

"Her  _what_?"

"Never mind." He should have known Asia would not understand that reference. Issei flipped through the notebook. "Oh. Wow."

"What is it?"

"Her diary."


	13. Chapter 13

"Excellent work, Ise," Rias-senpai said. "I'll give the hairbrush to Sona for analysis. We'll see if you were right."

"What do we do with the diary?" Issei asked.

"I seriously doubt we'll get important information out of it. Someone like Raynare would no doubt be careful with what she wrote down. But I'll read it today. We'll have a meeting tonight, before your magic training with Akeno."

"Okay."

"Anything else?"

"Yes, actually. Do we know what Heaven wants with Freed?"

"The higher-ups of our side have spoken with the church. Apparently they believe Freed was involved in something else. They didn't want to say what that was. But they believe that he is their responsibility as he is a rogue exorcist."

"So we're not handing him over?"

"Obviously. He's our prisoner now. However, the church will sent some agents here to investigate. Could be a while before they arrive."

"I see."

"You really should get back to class now, Issei. You've missed enough already."

"Yeah, you're right." He made for the door.

"One more thing."

"Hm?" He turned.

"Great work today."

Issei smiled. "Thanks, senpai."

He closed the door behind him. In the hallway, he came across Ruruko-chan.

"Oh, hi, senpai," she said, breathless.

"I'm starting to think you're wandering around here on purpose just to see me."

"What? Of course not." She twirled a strand of her long hair around.

"Your wounds seemed to have healed nicely," Issei said.

"Yeah. So have yours. Did uhm… did my little gift help?"

"Of course, Ruruko-chan. It was a beautiful gift."

"Oh," she blushed. "Well, uhm, if you're ever…" she swallowed hard. "If you ever want to see them again, you need only ask. I'm here for you."

"Thanks, that means a lot to me."

She blushed even harder. "So, is it true?" She quickly changed the subject. "Did you find a dead fallen angel?"

"Yeah. Looks like someone tore off her wings."

"Did you get any info out of her?"

"They are doing an autopsy now. And we're analysing some blood samples."

"Couldn't you have touched her blood to take her memories?" Ruruko-chan asked.

"I don't think it works that way." He had not taken any real memories from Asia, Freed or anyone else. He had taken some general knowledge about science and some powers, but not  _personal_ memories. But now that she mentioned it, he should have touched her blood anyway. Even if it didn't give him memories, it could give him knowledge or powers.

"By the way, how do you know about that?" He asked.  
"Oh, uhm, Kaichou was discussing it with Tsubaki-senpai. I don't think I was supposed to hear it actually."

"I see." That did make sense. Buchou was close with Sona-senpai. It wasn't strange that they had discussed it. Maybe Sona-senpai knew more about this blood transfer ability.

"Tsubaki-senpai also said how smart you were," Ruruko-chan continued. "She seemed quite impressed."

"Looks like I have another fan," Issei said.

"Building a harem, huh?"

"Isn't that the purpose of life?"

She chuckled. "Well, let me know if there is a spot left for a little Pawn."

A magic circle appeared next to her ear. "Damn, I'm late. See you later, Ise-senpai." She quickly walked on.

"See you around, Ruruko-chan." Issei took the opportunity to stare at her butt. He briefly wondered if she would show him that as well if he asked.

He really should get to class.

The teacher didn't even react when he entered halfway his lecture. Looks like Rias-senpai had made some arrangements.

There was only half a day of classes left, so he made it through without falling asleep.

After school, they all gathered in the clubroom.

"I got word from the church," Buchou said. "Their agents will arrive tomorrow. Seems like they are keen on this. And I think I know why."

"Do we have anything from her diary?" Issei asked.

"Yes," Buchou said. "A name." She looked at her Knight uncomfortably.

"Wil that get us anywhere?" Issei asked.

"Probably not, we don't know where he is," Rias-senpai said.

"Buchou," Yuuto interjected. "Go ahead and say it. I think I already know."

She sighed. "Valper Galilei."

"Do we know that guy?" Issei asked.

"The Genocide Archbishop," Rias-senpai clarified. "He was involved in Yuuto's past."

"Do we have a location?" Yuuto asked. He stood up.

"Nothing. He's only mentioned once, go ahead and-"

Kiba took the notebook. His eyes quickly scanned the page it was opened on. "The basement of an old house." He put the notebook back down.

"That could be anywhere," Buchou argued. "It doesn't even specify if it was in Kuoh Town."

"I'm gonna try and find him," Yuuto said. He put on his coat.

"How are you gonna do that?"

Yuuto did not reply.

"With random searching we'll never find him," Buchou argued. "We should-"

"I can't sit here and do nothing," the Knight said. "Sorry, Buchou. I'll be careful."

"Yuuto." She tried stopping him, but Yuuto walked out without listening.

"Buchou?" Issei said.

"Focus on your lesson, Ise," she said without making eye contact. "Yuuto is my responsibility."

She quickly cast a magic circle and teleported away.

"I promised your mom I would help her with dinner," Asia said. "I'll see you at home, Ise-san."

"Okay."

She kissed him on his cheek and started casting a magic circle as well.

Koneko-chan stood up as well. "I'll see if I can find Yuuto," she said. "You should work on your magic, Ise-senpai."

She left the room as well.

"That leaves only us then," Akeno-san said.

"Yeah. Shouldn't we help Yuuto-kun as well?"

Akeno-san shrugged. "It's no use. He has a long history with Valper. Nothing will convince him to sit at home and do nothing."

"But, what if something happens to him?"

"And how are you going to find him? Do you know where he will go?"

"Well, no." She was right about that. Yuuto could be anywhere.

"You should do as Buchou told you. Focus on your lesson."

"Fine." She was right. Wandering around town looking for Yuuto would not help anyone. He could only train his powers and hope Yuuto would not do anything stupid.

"So," Akeno-san said. "Ready for your first lesson?"

"Uhm… sure." He was a bit apprehensive.

"Hold on a sec, I'll go change."

"Sure…"

Wait,  _change_? What for?

Visions of leather outfits and whips drifted in front of him.

Issei swallowed hard.

To distract himself, he picked up the diary Yuuto had put back on the desk. Maybe he should take it and read it just in case. It was always possible Rias-senpai had missed some little detail that could help them.

Issei put the notebook in his bag just as Akeno-san returned.

"Thanks for waiting," she said.

"Uhm, Akeno-san?"

She had changed into what appeared to be some teacher outfit. A pair of red-framed glasses, a black skirt with stockings and a white blouse with far more buttons opened than was appropriate for a real teacher. He could see her black lacy bra. It seemed to struggle a bit under the weight of her impressive chest. She was even bigger than Rias-senpai, which was really saying something.

"Well, I am supposed to teach you, so I should look the part, right?"

"Uhm, yeah, I guess. That makes sense." At least she hadn't put on some BDSM-stuff.

"Good." She sat down on the couch next to him. "Are you at all familiar with how magic works?"

"Uhm, well, not really." He tried to avoid staring at her chest.

The gravity exerted by objects became bigger with mass, so maybe it wasn't so strange he was attracted by her large chest.

It was also inversely proportional with the distance, so the closer she came, the more attracted he was. Really, his attraction to breasts made so much sense. It was simple physics. He simply had to stare at her breasts. It wasn't a choice, it was Newton's law of universal gravitation.

"Are you paying attention?" Akeno-san asked.

"Huh? Yeah, of course."

"As I said. Let's start from scratch. There are all kinds of energy in the world. Energy can never be created or destroyed, only converted from one type to another."

"The First Law of Thermodynamics," Issei said.

"Exactly," Akeno-san confirmed, quite pleased.

"So magic is actually physics?" Issei asked.

"More or less. A mage has a specific type of energy flowing inside of them. In your case, that is demonic energy. There's also holy energy like angels and fallen angels use. Some humans can also use some type of energy."

"So how do these replenish then? They should deplete when used, right?"

"It is believed that cosmic background radiation is absorbed, but that's only a theory. No one has ever confirmed it. Whatever the case, resting seems to restore your aura. The more you practice, the faster this happens."

"I see. So how do you actually cast a spell then?"

"A mage simply projects his imagination into the world. Most commonly this is used to create fire, water or lightning. That's called Projection Magic, it's simple, fast and easy to learn."

"I see." Imagination? Well at this point he was imagining what she would look like without that blouse and bra. So if he projected his magic now, what would happen?

"Secondly there is Spell Magic," Akeno continued. "By using a spell, you basically write out what you want the magic to do. This makes it easier to focus your thoughts. All transportation spells work like this."

"Because if you would get distracted while casting…"

"You might end up in a very strange place," Akeno-san finished. "Very good, Ise-kun."

"Thanks. So in theory, I can do anything I want with magic?"

"There is one more thing you have to know. The concept of affinity."

"Affinity?"

"Yes." She adjusted her glasses. "Every type of energy has a certain efficiency in their conversion to a different type. This can vary between types and even individuals."

"So a part of the energy gets dispersed as heat?" According to the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

"Exactly. The House of Sitri for example have a very high affinity for water magic. To get the same result as them, you would have to pour more energy in the spell because a larger amount gets lost on the way there. The House of Phoenix on the other hand is incredibly good at fire magic."

"And you specialise in lightning?"

"Yes. Affinity is very important to keep in mind. You'll want to use your demonic energy effectively in a fight after all. It's no use to waste it all on a spell you're terrible at."

"Makes sense."

"Good. Let's begin then. The first step is to learn to feel your aura. Aura is dispersed evenly across your body, but actual magical attacks can't draw from your entire body. They need a large amount of aura, so you have to concentrate it somewhere. Like this." She lifted her hands and made a small orb of light appear. It was light blue. Issei could feel the waves of energy coming from it.

"Now you try," Akeno-san said. "Feel the waves of magic in your body and focus them to your hands."

"Okay." He closed his eyes and tried to focus.

'Feel the waves of magic'. Easier said than done. All he could feel was how much her outfit distracted him.

"The source of magic is imagination," Akeno-san said. Her fingers traced the palm of his hand. "Focus on a clear image."

 _I am_. Maybe the wrong one, but there was definitely a clear image of Akeno-san in his mind.

Issei sighed. His hands lowered and his eyes opened again. "Maybe I don't have any magic at all."

"You do," Akeno-san said. "You jumped through a magic circle. People can't do that unless they have some latent magical ability."

"Maybe it will remain sleeping forever."

"You just have to wake it up then. There's not much time, Ise-kun."

"You're right."

Freed had gone through quite a lot of trouble to get Asia back. That meant that she was somehow involved in their plans. So it was not unreasonable to think this Valper guy would target Asia as well. He had to be stronger so he could protect her. It was a matter of time before they would be attacked again. And this time, it wouldn't be a fight against a mere rogue exorcist. It would be against people that were strong enough that Freed feared them even though he was locked up.

Issei closed his eyes again. Focus.

He needed strength to-

Wait. He did feel them. Yes, if he focused, he could feel waves flowing over his body. But there were multiple types. He felt one very weak wave that was definitely his own and then there were others that felt strange-

"It's working," Akeno-san said.

Issei opened his eyes. Floating between his hands was a tiny orb of light. Actually, you couldn't even call it an orb. It was a thing the size of a piece of rice. Weak red light pulsed from it, in tandem with his heartbeat.

"It's not a lot, but-" Akeno-san frowned. Something came out of his hand. Brown light circled around the ball of aura and then melted together with it. The aura grew to the size of a marble. The color had changed to ochre now.

"What are you doing?" She demanded.

"I don't know."

From his other hand, green light bursted out. It spiralled around like the other light had done and then melted together with the orb as well as well. This time, the marble grew to the size of a tennis ball. The colors were really weird now. Most parts were bright green, but in some parts, it started mixing with the previous ochre color.

"Ise, you should stop," Akeno advised him.

"I can't."

From both hands simultaneously, more light appeared to join the growing aura. The ball grew even larger to the size of a football. It almost touched his hands. Now there was green, blue and red, mixing with whatever remained of the initial brown-red.

"Ise!"

The ball exploded in his hands. It made no sound, but he was blinded for a moment.

When his vision cleared again, he saw that no damage was done. Well, not to the room that is.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Strangely."

The ball of light had scorched her clothing. All her remaining buttons had been torn off and in various places, the fabric had burned away and made large rips. Her bra and the rest of her clothes were intact, it was only her blouse that had ripped.

Akeno took it off and studied it. "Very strange."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Issei asked. While he did like this sudden display, he was still concerned about her. Yet, he saw no wounds anywhere. Her body was fine. And quite interesting to look at.

"Your aura only damaged my blouse," she said. "Or well,  _the_ aura more accurately."

"Those were five different auras weren't they?" Issei asked.

"Yes. And I'm sure you recognised one of them."

"Asia." That warm green aura was without a doubt Asia-chan.

The first red one had been his own, that was certain as well. It had felt very familiar and it had been the only one he could control. Unsurprisingly, that was also the weakest one. The light blue one was the same color as Freed's lightsaber, so there was little doubt as to where that one came from. It also felt the most disturbing. He could feel rage and insanity inside of the aura. The red aura was the only one on par with that one. It felt calm at first, but once he released it, it quickly spiralled out of control. If he had to make a guess he would say it came from the guy with the Welsh dragon tattooed on his arm. The guy he had found in the park. The guy who had also given him his Twice Critical.

That left only the little brown aura. That had most likely come from the guy Freed had killed. The guy that had given him his biology knowledge. It was weak, but still a bit stronger than his own.

So he had taken their magical abilities as well?

That wasn't so surprising after all.

"This is troublesome," Akeno-san said. She took of her glasses and stood up (unfazed by the fact that she was only wearing a bra and skirt now).

"I could feel quite a lot of power," Issei said. If he could learn how to control it…

"Our training is over," she said coldly. "Please don't use magic ever again."

"What? But-"

"You should go home, Ise-kun. I have to talk with Rias about this."

"But, it was just an accident. I'll try again and-"

"No! It's too dangerous. Go home, Ise-kun."

"But…"

What had he done wrong? Sure, he hadn't expected  _that_  to happen, but what did she expect? That he would be great at magic from the first try?

"You're a horrible teacher, you know that?" Issei said. "I looked forward to this moment for so long and you just ruined it. Finally I can do magic, and you won't even learn me how to control it."

Akeno-san did not reply. She looked a bit sad.

"I'm out of here." He slung his backpack over one shoulder and left. The door slammed close behind him.

Stupid magic.

Still angry, he pushed down hard on his pedals and biked home. He threw open the door and...

"Welcome home, Ise-san."

"..." His anger seemed to leak away in a split second.

"Asia. That outfit."

"Do you like it?" She spun around, surprisingly confident.

"Uhm…"

She was only wearing a white apron, nothing else. The straps on top joined a waistband in a large knotted structure on the back. Due to this design, it showed a lot of sideboob and the knot on her back wasn't long enough to cover her buttocks completely. Very little was left to his extensive imagination.

"You don't like it?" She asked.

"No!" he quickly said. "I do. I'm all for this Asia-chan. Please do it more often."

She smiled shortly. But then she frowned again. "You still look uncomfortable. Is this too much? Kiryuu-san said that if I wore this you would surely… " her voice trailed off. "Anyway, I uhm… is something wrong, Ise-kun?"

Actually yes, but that was not what he wanted to talk about right now.

Issei came closer and dropped his voice. "What if mom sees this?"

"But, Ise-san," she looked very confused now. "Who do you think helped me put this on? I can't tie this knot on my own."

"Uhm, what?"

"Oh, Ise, you're home." His mom came out of the kitchen. "She looks cute, huh?"

"Uhm, mom?"

"I'll leave you two to it," she said. "Do take off your shoes, Ise."

"Oh, right." He had almost forgotten about that.

Issei crouched down to untie his laces. Asia had caught him completely off-guard with this little display.

"I'm really glad we can live together now," Asia said.

"Yeah, me too," he said absent-mindedly.

"Is something wrong? Ise-san? This really isn't the reaction I was hoping for."

"What were you hoping for then?" Issei asked.

She blushed. "Never mind, I… forget I said anything. I should go, dinner is-"

"Wait." Issei took her hand. "Sorry. I have some things on my mind right now. It's not you. Quite the contrary in fact."

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" She sounded concerned.

"We'll talk about that later, right now, I want to ask you something else."  
"Anything," she said. He could almost hear her heart beating faster.

"I uhm… I don't really know how to put this… How would you feel about living together?"

She frowned. "Aren't we already living together?"

"No, I mean… in my room. We slept together this one night, but then lots of stuff came up, but I couldn't stop thinking about-"

Asia hugged him tight. He felt her soft breasts pushing against his chest.

"So," Issei hesitantly put his hands on her lower back. "Is that a yes?"

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. It was a deep kiss. Much deeper than usual.

It was a long time before they broke it off.

"You know," Issei said. "In this age, I'm really going to need verbal consent."

Asia chuckled. "It's a yes, Ise-san. Shall I write it down for you and sign it? Just in case."

"Good idea. I'm gonna need something to cover myself if you change your mind."

"Why would I do that?"

"Well, mom did say I was a lustful beast."

"Oh, scary." She bit her lip in a very un-Asia way. "For such a lustful beast, your hands are surprisingly steady on my back, Ise-kun. I would have thought they would be roaming to more interesting places by now."

"Growing confident, huh?" He slowly moved his hands lower. "What happened to the innocent Holy Maiden?"

"Well," she blushed deep red. "Kiryuu said that I had to be more confident. That if I wanted you to…" her voice trailed off.

"What do you want me to do?" His hands were resting on her butt now. Asia was breathing hard.

Unsure of how to reply to that, she kissed him again. More desperate this time.

Issei softly traced the outline of her lips with his tongue. She yelped, but did not break off the kiss. If anything, she deepened it even more. Asia slowly opened her mouth a little bit. Their tongues touched briefly.

"Uhum," his mom cleared her throat. "I hate to disturb you but dinner is getting cold. Could you finish this another time?"

They released each other. Both were quite flustered at being caught by his mom. For some reason his mother didn't seem bothered at all. She talked as if she was discussing the weather with them.

"Uhm, you should probably put on some clothes," Issei said. "Dad's gonna faint if he sees this."

"Wasn't the idea that your parents would train me to become a housewife?" Asia asked.

"Well, yes, but, uhm…"

"This is how a housewife looks like, Ise-san."

"Where did you get that idea? Kiryuu-san again?"

"No, uhm," she blushed again. Asia looked down and played with the hem of her apron. "That cardboard box under your bed."

"Oh. Look, Asia. That's not necessarily an accurate representation of what a housewife looks."

"But," She looked up again. "I want to be  _your_  housewife. Maybe that's not possible but… I can try, right?" She blinked innocently.

"Uhm." How on Earth was he supposed to reply to that?

"Is that no good? Would you like me to be something else? I could borrow the nurse outfit again."

"Uhm…" Issei swallowed hard. "Look, you really don't have to try so hard for me."

Asia sighed. "I know I'm not as beautiful as Rias-senpai, or as seductive as Akeno-senpai, or as cute as Ruruko-chan, but… if you give me some time I can change. I can be the type of girl you like, Ise-san."

"Asia, that…"

"I never want to be alone again." There were tears in her eyes.

She hugged him again, even tighter than last time.

…

Wow.

He knew about her past of course, but…

"So, are you two lovebirds planning to eat today?" His mom asked.

"Sorry," Issei said. "We're coming."

He didn't even taste whether the food had actually gone cold. Actually what was he eating?

Did it matter?

Asia's dependence on him had reached uncomfortably large proportions. And it scared him. It wasn't so much Asia he was concerned about. It was more…

His mom may have meant it as a joke, but she was right. He was a lustful beast. So when cute innocent Asia told him something like that, what would happen? Was this really okay?

She was so scared of losing him she would probably do  _anything_  to prevent that. It was quite silly to imagine he would not abuse this power over her. Part of him, the part that saw Asia as a little sister, was very scared that another part would try to corrupt her. He could not pretend like he hadn't fantasised countless times about doing all kinds of things to her.

Issei finished his meal on auto-pilot and put the dishes in the sink. Very vaguely, he registered Asia was still wearing her apron and his dad was quite flustered about it.

He went to his room and sat down on his bed.

Someone knocked on his door shortly after.

"Can I come on?" Asia asked.

"Sure."

She closed the door behind her and sat down next to him on the bed.

"Sorry for scaring you like that," she said. "I shouldn't have said that."

"You just spoke your honest feelings," Issei said. "And I should be happy. Isn't this the dream of every man?"

"Well, yes, but… it's not strange that when it actually comes true, you have some conflicting feelings about it."

"Look, I always knew you were a bit dependant on me, but… aren't you scared? Scared of how I might try to change you?"

"I'm happy if you're happy, Ise-san. Whatever you have to do for that. You don't have to worry about me. But you do seem scared about something."

"Yes I'm scared," Issei said. "It's not just how serious we have gotten. It's everything. Last I remember I was a stupid pervert who was about as virgin as you can get. And now look at me. I'm living together with a cute girl dressed only in an apron who's so madly in love with me she wants to do anything for me. Ruruko-chan tells me that I can ask to see her breasts whenever I want and Tsubaki-senpai apparently admires how smart I am. Before all this I couldn't even tell the difference between right and left and now I'm contemplating how weird the concept is in a three-dimensional space. Did you know that most aboriginal languages don't have a word for right and left? They can only use cardinal directions, so they always have to know which direction is north when talking. Crazy huh?" He showed a very weird smile. While he talked, his hair slowly turned lighter. His eyes seemed to be changing color as well.

It looked very scary, but Issei didn't seem to notice.

"Are you okay?" Asia asked. This was reminding her of someone else. A crazy suspicion formed in her mind.

"No," Issei said. He touched his forehead. "I think the blood absorption is driving me a little crazy."

"Well, it must be weird to have all this knowledge and power just floating around in you." she had to do something. "Shall I help you focus?"

"How are you going to do that?"

"Well," she turned around. "Would you mind opening this up?"

"Uhm, sure." Issei's hands opened up the extensive knot. While he was doing this, his hair turned darker again and his eyes reverted back to their original color. Looks like it was working.

The garment slipped off her shoulders and pooled on the ground.

Asia turned around again. She was completely naked now.

Issei could only stare at her with his mouth half open.

She confidently took his hand and put it on her breast.

"Better?" She asked.

His fingers flexed a few times. His hair was now completely back to normal. "Yeah, actually." Issei felt his racing thoughts calm down. "That was… strange. What happened?"

Asia smiled. "I just brought you back. I knew that would work."

"Brought me back? From where?"

"Uhm, nowhere," Asia quickly said.

Issei blinked a few times. "I feel weird."

"Are you tired?" She asked.

"Yeah."

"Let's go to sleep. Go brush your teeth like a good boy, Ise-san."

"Yeah." He replied like he was a little kid.

Still confused, Issei walked to the bathroom. He grabbed his pyjamas on the way.

Asia let out her breath. She immediately summoned a communication magic circle.

[What's wrong?] A tired voice asked.

"Rias-oneesama? I think we have a big problem."

[You mean his magic? Look, it was just an accident.]

"An accident? Are you crazy?" She tried keeping her voice down. "I knew there was something fishy about this blood absorption. It has to stop right now." She turned off the main lights and snapped on the lamp on his night stand.

[How so? What happened?]

"Issei was stressed out and… his hair started changing color."

[What?]

"It slowly started getting lighter." She got under the covers. "I think… I think it was getting white."

[You mean-]

"Yes, like Freed."

[That's impossible.]

"I think he takes a lot more than just some knowledge and powers."

[You think Freed's personality is hiding somewhere in there?]

"Yes. And when he's stressed out, it can get out." She pulled the blankets up to her chin and leaned against the wall.

[That does make sense. Most magic works on emotions. When they are in turmoil, magic can spiral out of control. How did you bring him back?]

"By catering to his real personality."

[Makes sense. You have to make sure he stays like that, Asia. There's no telling what will happen if he changes again.]

"No need to tell me. How far are you on your research?"  
[Nowhere. No one has ever heard of any power like that. Looks like it's unique. Anyway, make sure he doesn't use it again.]

"I'll try."

"Who are you talking to?" Issei asked.

"Oh, uhm, no one."

"It sure didn't look that way," Issei said.

"Well I was talking with Rias-oneesama," Asia said. "We uhm, I asked her to go shopping with me."

"You want new clothes?"

"Yes, I uhm… I don't like my underwear. Rias-oneesama promised she would help me pick out something more… revealing. I thought you might like that."

"Oh. That sounds fun. Can I come with you?" He smiled. His real smile this time.

"But then it won't be a surprise anymore."

"Oh, right."

Issei got under the covers as well. His hand touched her. "Oh. You're uhm."

"I'm going to sleep naked, if that's okay with you." She embraced him.

"Of course."

Asia smiled. "Let's go to sleep then."

Only the lamp on his nightstand was still turned on. Her breasts brushed past Issei's chest when she reached turn it off. He seemed to enjoy that.

She snuggled closer towards him so they were spooning. Issei put his hands on her belly.

"Don't be scared, Ise-san," she said. "You can touch them."

"Uhm." He moved his right hand higher and cupped her breast.

"Is this okay?" He asked.

"Much better," she said. Asia closed her eyes. She felt much safer when Issei touched her. Also, it…

She had gotten scared when his hair color suddenly changed. But as long as he was touching her breast, she could be absolutely certain it was the real Issei lying next to her.

"Good night, Ise-san."

"Good night, Asia."


	14. Chapter 14

"Ah, Saturday." Issei stretched out. "Best day of the week."

"Did you sleep well?" Asia asked. She was lying on his chest, still naked from last night. Although nothing serious had happened.

"Yeah."

"Good."

"Did something happen yesterday?" Issei asked. "I feel like I was ranting at some point."

"Nothing special. You mentioned something about your training with Akeno-san."

Actually he had mumbled about it in his sleep, but she was not about to tell him that.

"Oh that."

"Didn't go well?" She still didn't seem keen on getting up.

"I was doing fine," Issei said. "I summoned my aura and then uhm… well, there were some other auras coming. I had no control over them."

"That was to be expected. You did take powers from others."

"Yeah, maybe I should have seen that coming. I don't have the power to control the magic I stole from others."

"You could channel them through your Evil Piece," she suggested. "Like you did with Freed's light powers and your Twice Critical."

"Yeah, I guess that would work. The Evil Piece is a part of me, so if I Promote, I should gain more power. Then I should have more control over my blood powers."

"But it's not much use," Asia added. "You can only Promote within enemy territory. So not useful for training."

"I know."

"So how did Akeno-senpai react?" she asked.

"She didn't want to teach me anymore."

"Oh."

"I uhm, got quite mad."

"That's no good, Ise-san. She meant well. Akeno-senpai was probably just scared you would hurt yourself."

"Yeah, I can see that now."

"You need to make up with her."

"Sure, sure. I'll make something up."

"Okay." She finally started moving. "I'll go get dressed then."

She stood up and took the covers with her. For a moment he caught a glimpse of her boobs but then she covered them up with the blanket.

"Hey, that's my blanket."

"I'm kinda naked," Asia said.

"I know," he grinned.

"Unbelievable," she mumbled.

"You should probably move your clothes here. You know, for convenience."

"Good idea."

Issei looked as she left his room, still wrapped in his blanket. Such a cute girl.

The diary on his nightstand caught his eye.

With a frown, he took it and opened it. He went to the page that had been marked with a dog ear. The one where Raynare described the day she met Valper.

' _Met old Valpie today. He really looks ridiculous. That stupid mustache and those glasses, honestly. He reminds me of Pennywise. And why is he still wearing his priest outfit? He was banished years ago. Terrible fashion choice. Even Mittelt has a better taste in clothes. That little gothic crow. I hope Valpie stays in his basement forever, with the rest of the trolls. He-'_

"Whatcha reading?" Asia asked.

Issei looked up. "Raynare's diary."

Asia had changed into her casual clothes. A brown pullover and a knee-length black skirt. She was a church girl after all.

"Didn't Rias-oneesama already go through that?" Asia asked.

"Yeah, but she might have missed something." He idly turned a page.

"I'll just uhm, put my clothes in your closet."

"Hold on, I'll help."

He put the diary down and got out of bed.

"Can I ask you something?" he said as he moved his clothes around to clear up space for hers.

"Sure."

"Why do you still have that thing?" He nodded to the nun uniform in her hands.

"What do you mean?"

"You were expelled from the church. For trying to help someone. Yet you still keep your nun uniform. Why?"

"I guess I'm still attached to it. It's sentiment mostly. I still pray to the Lord as well. I would wear my cross too, but, well, if you touched it you would take…" She noticed his expression. "Ise-san?"

Issei was staring at a fixed point without blinking.

Suddenly, he looked back at her. "What do you do if it needs to be washed?" He asked, quite urgently.

"Well, I wash it by hand of course. I wouldn't want it to get damaged. What's wrong?"

Issei walked back to his bed and picked up the diary.

' _Why is he still wearing his priest outfit?'_

Could it be? Could they find him like that?

"I think I've got something," Issei said. He picked up his phone and called Rias-senpai.

She picked up on the third ring.

[Ise?] He heard a yawn. [I'm quite busy here. Why are you calling me so early?]

"I know where Valper is."

[What?] She woke up instantly. [How?]

"Raynare's diary says he still wears his priest uniform."

[So?]

"So if it gets dirty he has to take it to the dry cleaning."

[Why would he do that? Can't he just wash it? Like other clothes?]

"Of course not. He's very attached to it. Think about it. Would the church let him keep his bishop uniform after banishing him?"

[I guess not. Maybe he stole it?] She suggested.

"So he only has one outfit. And if it gets damaged, he can never wear it again. Getting church clothes isn't easy. You can't just walk into a grocery store and buy them. Especially if we're talking about the uniform of a bishop."  
[That does make some sense. So you think he takes it to the dry cleaning?]

"It's a possibility."

[True. But I don't think he takes it himself.]

"All we have to do is check which dry cleaning he takes it too. Then we wait until someone brings it and follow them."

[And what if they teleport away?]

"Try and get a picture. Magic circles contain coordinates. At least, that's what Akeno-san taught me."

[Yeah, about that-]

"It was an accident. I didn't mean to rip her blouse off."

[You're forbidden to use magic for now. It's too dangerous.]

"I have to learn," Issei argued.

[Promise me.]

"Fine fine, I promise." She did have a point there. Who knows what would happen if he tried it again. But they all seemed very keen on not letting him practice. A bit  _too_  keen. Was there more going on here?

[And don't touch anyone's blood either.]

"What? Why?"

[You need to learn how to control the aura inside of you. Making it bigger is a bad idea.]

"Right." Somehow, it felt like they were keeping him out of the loop.

[Good. I'll check all the dry cleanings in the area. It sounds like a promising lead.]

"Okay."

[Oh, and while we're talking, the agents from the church will arrive tonight. They want to talk to us, so I suggest we meet at your house.]

"My house? Why?"

[I don't know, they insisted. See you tonight, Ise-kun.]

"Hey-" She hung up before he could say anything.

"Say, Ise-san," Asia said. "What was that thing you mentioned?"

"What thing?"

"Oh, you know, 'ripping her blouse off'."

"Uhm, I had a little magical accident."

" _Accident_?"

"Nothing happened, I swear."

She pouted. "You could at least tell me if you're having  _accidents_ with other girls."

"Nothing happened," Issei insisted. "I tried casting magic and my aura exploded and ripped her blouse off."

Asia narrowed her eyes. "Why would that happen?"

"I guess it was… uhum, projecting my imagination."

"If you so desperately want to see naked girls, I can…" her hands moved to the hem of her pullover.

"No, no, it's okay."

"I understand," Asia said. She cast her eyes down. "I'm not as big as Akeno-senpai. It's natural you wouldn't be interested in-"

" _Asia_. You're a beautiful girl, you shouldn't worry about your body."

"But-"

"You said you'd be anything I wanted you to be. So what if I wanted you to be more confident about your body? What if I wanted you to stop comparing yourself to others? You're beautiful in your own way, Asia."

Her eyes widened for a second. "Ise-san. Will you uhm…" she avoided his eyes. "Will you take me shopping today?"

"Huh?"

"I want to change my style," she said. "You're right. I was banished from the church. All these clothes come from there. But I have a new life now and my church past has no place in there. I'm with you now, and I don't want to look like this anymore. This is not attractive at all. I'll never feel comfortable about my body in these formless things. I want to wear what real teenage girls wear. I want to wear what you like."

Issei blinked a few times, unsure of how to reply.

"Sorry," she blushed. "Was that too overwhelming?"

"No, no. I understand. I'll take you shopping today then."

"Today?"  
"Of course. Unless you had other plans today?"

"Uhm, not really. But… I… well, you know."

"Did you know there was a bounty on Freed?" he understood what she was getting at. Obviously, Asia had no money to buy clothes. Where on Earth would she have gotten it from?

"There was?" She seemed surprised by that information.

"Seems like he killed some devils before. It's not that big, but still. Buchou told me to 'use it well'."

"She gave it all to you?"

Issei shrugged. "She said I was the one who took him down after all. Given what Freed did to you, I guess it's only right to spend it on something that makes you happy."

"You shouldn't spend it on something like that," Asia said. "There are more important things."

"That wasn't a question, Asia. It's my money I can do whatever I want with it."

She smiled softly. "Then I have no choice but to come along with you."

"Indeed," Issei confirmed. "Let's have breakfast and then we'll leave."

"Right, I'll make you breakfast."

"You don't have to."

She looked him dead in the eye. "I wasn't asking."

He smiled back.

 _She's starting to grow more confident_ , Issei thought as they went downstairs.

He quite liked it actually. Of course, it was quite cute when she was embarrassed about little things, but it sometimes made her doubt herself. And a strong confident girl was way more attractive.

They had breakfast and then Issei took out his bike from the garage.

"I really need to learn how to teleport," he said.

"I don't mind sitting behind you," Asia assured him. "Sometimes the journey is more important than the destination, Ise."

"That's more of a philosophical thing. Not travelling advice."

Asia smiled innocently.

He got on his bike and she sat down behind him. Her arms immediately wrapped around his waist. He felt her soft breasts pressing against his back.

Maybe journey wasn't so bad after all. Especially if it was with a girl like that.

Issei pushed down hard on his pedals. Starting was the hardest part. But his training seemed to have payed off, because it went very smoothly.

"Is there even a shopping center here?" Asia asked.

"There's a department store near the school," Issei said. "It's not that big though. If you really want a lot of choice, we'll have to go to-"

"It's okay," she said. "The department store is fine."

"Alright." He took a turn.

The department store was only fifteen minutes away.

It was a large two-storey building that contained a wide range of shops. Anything from a pet store to a second-hand bookshop. There were only a few clothing stores, but they were pretty big.

Issei put his bike away.

"Here we are," he said.

"It's beautiful," Asia said.

The top of the department store was a large glass dome which made it quite pretty.

"Let's get inside," Issei said.

They walked to the front door.

Asia's hand brushed against his.

Issei got the hint and took her hand.

The automatic doors slid open for them.

There were quite a lot of people in here. It was a Saturday after all.

Asia shrugged closer towards him. She probably didn't like the large mass of people.

"The nearest clothing shop is-"

Wait a minute. Was that…? Yeah, that was her. That uniform was hard to miss.

Issei released Asia's hand and walked to the girl.

Asia hurried after him, quite surprised.

"Ruruko-chan? Why are you here?"

His junior wheeled around. "Oh, Ise-senpai. What a surprise." Ruruko-chan was very flustered. More than usual. She was dressed in her school uniform, strangely.

"What's wrong?" Issei asked.

"Nothing, I was just out uhm… shopping."

"Ruruko-chan?" A voice asked. "Are you-" Saji spotted them. "Oh. I see."

"Your entire peerage is here?" Issei asked.

"Of course not," Ruruko-chan said. She quickly grabbed Saji's arm. "I'm on a date with… Gen-chan."

"Y-Yes we are," Saji confirmed after a short pause.

"So that's why you're in uniform," Issei said dryly. "On a Saturday?" Saji was in his uniform as well.

"We just feel really comfortable in our uniform," Ruruko-chan said.

"Be careful," Issei said. "People will think you're…  _up to something_."

Only Ruruko-chan seemed to understand his reference.

"Come on, Ruruko-chan," Saji said. "We have to go. These two are on a date as well."

"See you around, Senpai," Ruruko-chan quickly said before Saji half-dragged her away.

"Looks like the Sitri peerage has some plans," Issei said as he watched them go away.

"I wonder what they are up to," Asia said.

"Something very secret no doubt."

Her fingers touched his hand again.

"Oh, sorry." He held her hand again. "I shouldn't have left you alone."

"It's okay."

"So, the nearest clothing shop is over there." Issei pointed with his free hand.

"Let's go there then."

He guided Asia through the crowd.

"Are you jealous Nimura-san is on a date with someone else?" Asia asked suddenly.

"She's not on a date. They are working on something."

"But would it bother you? If it was a real date?"

"She's free to date whoever she wants," he said, dismissively.

"So it does bother you then?"

Issei stopped abruptly.

"Just because she-" he dropped his voice. "Showed her breasts to me once. That doesn't mean we're dating or anything."

"I don't want to hold you back," Asia said. "You deserve a harem, you really do. I'll try not be jealous, I promise."

"This is ridiculous," Issei said. "How can you be okay with me heaving a harem?"

Asia suddenly wrapped her hands around his neck. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

Issei was paralysed by surprise. They were in the middle of the department store. What was this girl thinking?

Asia released him again. From the corner of his eye, he saw that people were staring at them.

Asia ignored them completely. "I want you to be happy," she said simply. "One girl can never be enough to satisfy you. Certainly not me." She looked down at her breasts for a second.

"You're more than enough for me," Issei assured her.

"You don't have to lie to me, Ise," she said.

"I…"  
She gave him a short kiss again. "It's okay."

Asia took his hand and dragged him through the crowd, which now hastily parted for them.

Is this real life?

In what kind of world did his… he might as well say it now. Why did his  _girlfriend_ , insist he did stuff with other girls? Shouldn't she be jealous? Shouldn't she want him for her alone?

They entered the clothing store.

"Asia," Issei stopped her. "Why… why are you okay with this? Don't you want to be my girlfriend? Exclusively?"

She smiled. It was a sad smile. "I don't deserve that, Ise."

"But-"

"Besides. Love doesn't have to be mutually exclusive. I love you. But I love God as well and Rias-oneesama, and everyone else. They are all my dear friends. They all risked their lives to save me. My love for you won't get smaller because there are more people I care about."

"... right."

"Isn't it the same for you? You love me, but surely you love your mom as well. And Ruruko-chan. And Rias-oneesama. And Koneko-chan. And I'm thinking you're starting to like Akeno-senpai as well. But does that mean you love me less?"

"Of course not."

"Then what's the problem? Don't you have enough problems as it is without having to invent more of them?"

Issei nodded slowly. Still, there was something strange about her logic. Not that he really  _wanted_ to complain. If Asia was okay with him having a harem, that was obviously a dream come true. But…

Was she really okay with it? Or was she just saying that to please him? Because she felt like she owed him her life? Which she did of course, but…

"You should make up with Akeno-senpai," Asia said. "And tell Ruruko-chan how you feel."

"I will. But first things first, Asia. We're on a date now."

"This is a date?"

"Of course it is. You just kissed me in public, I'd say this is a date."

"Well, when you put it like that."

"How else were you gonna put it?"

"Well, uhm…"

She had no answer to that.

"See," Issei said. Her guided her further into the store.

"So, where shall we start?" He asked.

"How about we start with the most important thing?" Asia suggested.

"Sure. And that is?"

"Oh, come on, Ise-san. You know exactly what that is."

With resolute steps she walked to…

Right, of course. Underwear section.

It felt very strange to stand there. Obviously, no man were anywhere near this corner. He did spot a few women though. Most of them older than Asia. And bigger.

"What do you like?" She asked. She looked a bit uncertain between all this lingerie.

"What's your size?" Issei asked. It didn't matter whether he liked something if they didn't have it in her size.

"If you don't know, you're not touching them enough," she whispered boldly.

"I'll have to agree with you on that."

"How about this?" She asked. Asia picked up a white bra with silver thread. The silver formed a complicated web-pattern on top of the white. Little star shapes stood out.

It was quite perfect for her. Most things that he liked were also quite revealing. This one covered just as much as her old one, but the silver thread added a nice design compared to the boring one she had now.

"It's nice," Issei said.

"You don't sound enthusiastic," Asia said.

"Well, it's hard to tell you know? I kinda have to see it on a girl to be certain."

"Right." She looked at the changing rooms. "Come on."

They both walked to the cubicles closed off with long curtains.

She dragged him into one and closed the curtain.

"Uhm, Asia?"

"Hm?"

"Is this okay?"

"I don't think anyone will mind," she said. "Besides," she pulled her pullover over her head. "I could use some help." She threw her grey pullover on the bench.

Next, she pulled off her loose grey shirt in a weird arms-crossing motion he didn't really understand. There was some strange physics going on here.

"Would you mind unhooking me?" She asked as she turned her back on him and tossed her shirt on the bench as well. She looked quite hot with her blonde hair hanging loosely over one shoulder.

"Right."

Issei carefully opened her bra. Luckily, he had spent quite some time researching how to do this. Just in case he would ever need it.

Asia let her bra slid over her shoulder.

She stood with her back to him, however, in front of her was a mirror, so he still got quite an eyeful before she covered herself up with her arms. A shame really, because her breasts were-

"Ise?"

"Huh?"

She nodded to the hook behind him were the new bra hung.

"Oh, right, sorry." He handed it to her.

He got another quick look as she took it off the hanger and put it on.

Issei helped her attach the double hooks at the back.

"You'll have to adjust the straps," she said.

"The  _what_?"

She reached back and touched the shoulder straps.

"Oh." He noticed there were two little movable ladders on them. Exactly the same system you used to adjust the shoulder straps of a backpack. Who knew bras were so cleverly designed?

With her guidance he adjusted both of them individually.

"Is this right?" He asked, unsure. "One of them is higher."

Asia blushed red. "My left breast is smaller," she mumbled.

Oh, right. Now that she mentioned it, he had read once that it was quite common for girl's breasts to be slightly different in size. Especially when they went through puberty. How had he never noticed that?

"That's one way to look at it," Issei said, trying to cheer her up.

"How so?"

"You could also say that the other one is  _bigger_."

She stifled a chuckle. "And that one is your favorite then?"

"I love all breasts equally," Issei declared. Although he did have a preference for the larger ones, that certainly didn't apply to the same girl. Average size was what counted. With a reasonably small variance between them preferably.

"So," she turned around. "What do you think?"

"It suits you," Issei said honestly. Silver and white matched quite nicely with her light hair color. And it kinda kept up the illusion of the church girl. The supposedly innocent church girl who was actually wearing something like this beneath her clothes. It wasn't actually that revealing, but it sort of cast the illusion it was.

"I think I'll take this one," Asia said. "It fits quite nicely."

"Okay."

"You don't want to check if it fits well?" She asked.

"Uhm…"

"I need a second opinion, Ise-san," she said simply.

"Yeah, but how…" Oh, wait.

Hesitantly, he reached out. His fingers cupped her right breast. Now that he studied them so up close, he could see it was indeed slightly bigger than the other one.

The fabric felt very soft and smooth.

He carefully squeezed her chest.

"Yeah, I'd say it fits nicely," Issei said.

Their eyes locked.

Asia put her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

They kissed again.

While they kissed, Issei kept fondling her breast. His movements were soft and slow, but she seemed to like it a lot, cause her breathing got faster.

Asia traced the outline of his lips with her tongue.

He touched her tongue with his own.

His heart was beating very fast by now and it suddenly felt very hot in this small room.

Issei moved his hand under the fabric to touch her breast directly.

She gasped for a second, and then kissed him harder.

With his other hand, he reached back to unclasp her bra so he could touch her more easily. She didn't stop him. Quite the contrary in fact. Asia moved her hands away from his neck to pull off the bra completely and toss it on the bench. They continued to make out while Issei fondled her naked breasts. Her nipples had grown hard under his touch.

Asia pulled away suddenly. "Sorry," she whispered. "I kinda got carried away."

"It's okay," Issei said.

"No, it's not. We're in a changing room."

"Oh, right." It was indeed a bit inappropriate to make out in a place like this.

"We can continue this later," she said when she saw his sad look.

"Tonight?" Issei suggested.

"Are you sure your mom won't mind if we sleep together all the time?" She asked.

"I thought they were supposed to train you to be a housewife? Isn't this something a housewife would have to do?"

"So, should I ask for advice on kissing from your mom then?" She put her old bra back on.

"I don't think you need advice," Issei said. He helped her put on her bra.

"Okay."

"Practice however…"

Asia smiled. She stole another kiss before she got dressed again.

"I think we'll have to hurry up a bit on the other things. You mentioned the church representatives would come to your house tonight," Asia said. "And I promised your mom I would help with dinner again. Housewife training and such. We should stop getting distracted."

" _You're_  the one distracting me," Issei argued.

"I'm not doing anything," she shot back.

"Said the girl who took off her bra in front of a virgin."

"Technically you took it off," Asia pointed out.

She opened the curtain and walked out.

Issei tried to look as if nothing had happened even though they had spent quite some time in there to try on one item. However, the other people in the store didn't really seem to care. He got one strange look from an employee however.

"I suggest we go to a different section," Issei said. He didn't like the way that employee looked at him. Although she was quite a hot woman actually.

"I still need matching underwear," Asia said. "And maybe more than like,  _one_  bra."

"Are you sure we have the time for that today?" Issei asked.

"If you stop distracting me, we have," Asia said.

"Yes, Miss."

She chuckled.

In retrospect, they were able to buy quite a lot. Issei was holding four large bags at the end mostly filled with dresses, short skirts, cute shirts or underwear. There was also one particularly sexy nightgown Asia had insisted on buying even though she had been incredibly embarrassed when trying it on. Maybe it was the way he had looked at her when she had put it on that convinced her.

"Are you sure I don't have to help?" Asia asked. She looked at the bags.

"This is a man's job."

"And how is this man gonna put those bags on his bike?" She asked.

"Good question."

He stood in front of his bike.

Hm, difficult.

Normally, he could just strap them on the luggage rack behind the saddle, but that was where Asia was sitting. Obviously, he could not hold four bags in his hand while driving his bike, that wouldn't end well.

"I've got an idea," Asia said. "Put them down."

"Uhm, okay."

She quickly looked around and then waved her hand.

A green circle lit up beneath the bags.

"Asia," Issei warned her. "We shouldn't cast magic in public."

"No one is looking," she assured him.

The circle flashed and the bags were gone.

"There we go," Asia said.

"Let's just hope no one saw this."

He got on his back. Asia sat down behind him again.

"I had a lot of fun today," she said as he pushed down hard to kick the bike into motion.

"Yeah, me too."

They went back home. At home, Asia changed into some of her new clothes. A white hoodie with a pink zipper and a red skirt that was just long enough to still be appropriate. She looked good in it. A lot more free than usual.

His dad said he liked her new style during dinner.

Asia blushed at his comment.

She was still a bit of a modest church girl. But now it was a conscious decision, not something that was forced upon her.

It was like watching a transformation. Asia was now smiling a lot more and she was more certain about herself.

They went to his room after dinner.

Issei put down some pillows on the ground for their meeting. They couldn't really hold it in the living room since his parents were there.

"You've changed," Issei told Asia.

"Is that a good thing?" she asked.

"Yeah, I like it."

"You've changed too," Asia said.

"I know. I've gotten smarter. A lot."

"You're still a lustful beast though."

"Well, sorry about that."

She bit her lip. "Well, I don't really-"

Someone knocked on his door.

Issei went to open it.

"Oh, Rias-senpai, come on in."

He moved aside so she could enter.

The rest of the peerage followed.

Even Yuuto was with them.

"You're back?" Issei asked.

"Koneko-chan convinced me," he said simply. The Knight sat down on a pillow.

"How did she do that?" Issei asked. He sat down opposite of Kiba. Asia sat down next to him.

"You were right," Buchou said, she came to sit on his other side. "We found a dry cleaner who admitted he treated a bishop uniform a few days ago. After some  _convincing_  that is."

"So we can trace him like this?" Issei asked.

"We have some familiars watching the place. If they come to bring it again, we'll follow them. They will lead us to Valper. We can only wait until that happens."

Yuuto seemed to agree with that as well, although a bit reluctantly.

"I wonder what they are up to," Akeno-san said. "Must be something big."

"We'll find out soon enough."

His mom arrived with tea and cookies. They all thanked her.

"Let me know if you kids need anything else," his mom said.

"We're fine," Issei said.

She left them again.

"I saw the Sitri peerage at the mall today," Issei said as he sipped his tea. "They seemed to be up to something."

"I have a suspicion," Rias-senpai said. "But you don't have to worry about it."

"What is it?" Issei asked.

She shared a look with Akeno-san. "We'll tell you when it's done. I don't want to give you any false hope. It might not work."

Issei narrowed his eyes. "You're working on something. This morning, when I called you said you were busy. At that hour?"

"We worked all night," Rias-senpai said.

 _We_?

He looked at Akeno-san.

Damn. He really had to apologize to her. Was she working all night for him?

"Anyway," Rias-senpai said. "They'll be here soon."

"I wonder what they want," Koneko-chan said.

"I'm guessing they are after Valper as well. The church didn't just banish him, they wanted to bring him to justice. If he continues his project…"

"What  _project_  is that," Issei asked.

Buchou looked at Yuuto, who nodded.

"The Holy Sword Project."

"Holy Sword?"

"The main weapons of the church. The lightswords we took from Freed are channelers. They simply direct the light magic inside of your own body."

"That's why they didn't work when I picked them up." Before he had taken Freed's powers that is.

"Exactly," Buchou confirmed. "But Holy Swords are different. They have their own internal aura. The damage they deal is on a whole other level. It's one of the biggest weaknesses for devils."

"I see."

"The only problem is that they are also channelers. They draw a part of their power from their wielder. Unlike a regular lightsword which simply channels whatever you push into it, a Holy Sword  _demands_  a certain amount of aura."

"So if you're not strong enough…"

"The sword won't work," Buchou finished. "And Valper was involved in a project to create new wielders."

"Why did they banish him then? It sounds like he did great work for the church."

"He did. But the methods he used were horrifying. At first, he covered everything up. But when he was exposed he tried to dispose of all the research subjects. Yuuto-kun is one of the only survivors."

So all Yuuto's friends had been killed? Holy crap. No wonder he was so keen on revenge.

The bell chimed.

"They are here," Buchou said. "Try not to get into a fight," she looked sharply at Yuuto and Issei.

"Why are you looking at me?" Issei asked.

"Because I know you," she said.

Rias-senpai stood up and went to retrieve their guests.

"Why would I start a fight with them?"

"You never know," Koneko-chan said. "If a girl is in danger or something."

"That's a legitimate reason," Issei argued.

"Sure, sure."

Rias-senpai came back with two guests and strangely, his mom.

The first girl had long chestnut hair put up in twintails, quite like Ruruko-chan, but without clippers. Instead, she used two blue scrunchies. Her eyes were violet and permanently sparkling. For some reason, this girl looked vaguely familiar.

The other girl had short blue hair with one little fringe dyed green. She looked a lot more serious. Her eyes were brown-yellow and didn't sparkle. Instead, they studied everyone in turn, lingering quite long on Asia-chan. She had a large wrapped thing in her hands. It had the shape of a huge sword. Issei could feel the aura coming of it. Was this a Holy Sword?

Both girls were dressed in long green-white robes with the hoods lowered.

These were without a doubt the church agents. Seriously, why had no one mentioned they were two hot girls? It was a bit hard to tell with the robes, but he guessed they were quite hot.

Everyone stood up to greet them.

"Look who's here," his mom said.

"Hey, Ise-kun," the chestnut girl said.

"Uhm." Did he know this girl? He searched in his memory. Surely he would a cute girl like that. She had a decently sized chest (somewhere between Rias-senpai and Asia-chan he guessed), so obviously he should remember her.

"Do you know her?" Asia-chan asked. There was a bit of concern in her voice.

"Well, not really."

"Ye, Ise-kun," the girl pouted. "Forgetting your childhood friend."

"Childhood… friend?"

"The girl next door," his mom said.

Wasn't that a movie about a guy who had a pornstar as his neighbour and fell in love with her?

Wait, focus. Girl next door.

Wait a minute.

"You're a girl!?"

"Well uhm, yes, obviously," chestnut-girl said.  
"You don't remember Shidou Irina-san?" His mom asked.

"Well, I just assumed she was a… boy."

"Ise!" His mom seemed genuinely offended.

"It's okay," Irina assured them. "I did look like a tomboy back then."

"I'll go make some more tea," his mom said. She left the room.

"I didn't know you had a childhood friend," Asia said.

"Neither did I," Issei said dryly.

"Is that your girlfriend?" Irina-san asked.

"This is Asia Argento," Issei introduced her.

There was a visible change. Irina's eyes widened in surprise. However, it was the other girl that bothered him. There was something else entirely in her eyes.

"So you're the witch," the blue-haired girl said.

They all felt the tension rising.

"What are you calling her?" Issei asked.

"She used to be a Holy Maiden," the girl continued coldly. "And now look at her. She's even wearing those sinful clothes."

Asia gripped her new skirt with both hands. She was trembling on her feet. Issei saw some tears blinking in her eyes.

"Hey, Xenovia," Irina said. "Calm down a bit."

"You should be careful," Issei warned her. "Asia is with us now."

"Oh, of course. With devils. Seems like she has fallen quite low. Tell me, Asia Argento, do you still believe in our Lord?"

Asia swallowed hard. "I just can't quite get myself not to," she said with a trembling voice. "I believed in him all my life."

"That's blasphemy," Xenovia said. "You should let us kill you right now." She shifted the grip on her sword. "I'm sure God will forgive a former Holy Maiden."

Asia was shaking heavily by now. Tears fell down.

"You're the ones who called her that," Issei shouted. "All she wanted was to have a normal life. To make friends. You're the ones who took that away from her."

Xenovia now stood right in front of him. "Holy Maidens only need God's love."

Issei's fist lashed out and hit her square in the face.

Xenovia stumbled back. Her hands went to her bleeding lip.

"Xenovia!" There was fear in Irina's voice.

Issei blinked a few times. He seemed to be surprised by his own action.

Or maybe he was just surprised he had been quick enough to hit a trained warrior from the church.

Asia was the only one who had seen it. For a moment, his eyes had flickered red. But now, they were gold-brown again. He had not lost control. He had simply channeled Freed's speed through his body for this one hit. It was the only explanation that fit. Issei himself would never have been quick enough to hit her.

Xenovia wiped the blood away.

"If you want to play it like that." She prepared to unwrap her weapon.

"That's enough." Rias-senpai said. "If you want to fight so badly, take it outside." Wait, she wasn't angry at him?

Buchou had told him not to cause a scene at that was exactly what he had done. Shouldn't she be angry?

"Two against one seems hardly fair," Yuuto said. He stood next to Issei.

"Yuuto?"

"We're comrades," Yuuto said. "We fight together."

"Fine," Xenovia said. "Let's take this outside then."

She grabbed her heavy sword in both hands and went outside.

Irina-san didn't seem keen on following.

"This is a bad idea," she said.

"It's just a mock fight," Buchou said. "We won't kill anyone. Not yet that is."

"Still."

"Do you expect us to just forget what your friend said?" Buchou said coldly. "Asia Argento is with us now. Any attack on her is an attack on us. Unless she was planning to apologize?"

Asia seemed quite surprised by that sudden statement.

"I understand," Irina said. "I'll see if I can convince her. Give me some time please."

"Alright."

Irina went outside as well.

"She'll never convince her," Issei said.

"I doubt it as well," Buchou said. "That thing she was carrying is a Holy Sword, I'm certain of it. If they hit you, you'll take a lot of damage."

"Right. Yuuto, can you take that blue-haired girl?"

"Huh?"

"We'll need a proper tactic," Issei said. "Were you planning to just charge in there blindly? These are trained warriors. If you can't handle it then I can ask Koneko-chan instead." He didn't like the look in Yuuto's eyes.

"No! Sorry. I wasn't thinking clearly." Yuuto's eyes cleared up a little. There was no longer pure hatred inside of them. Now, there was a little calculated revenge too. "You're right. We need to think."

"Given the size of her sword, you'll have to use your speed. She'll get tired swinging a huge thing like that."

"Right. What are you gonna do about the other girl?"

"I'll see if I can use some psychological warfare. She seems to remember me quite well. A bit too well for a simple neighbour."

"Good," Rias-senpai said. "You're a great tactician, Ise-kun."

"You're not angry at me?"

Buchou shrugged. "That girl overstepped her boundaries. Asia-chan is a member of our family now. We protect her."

Buchou was suddenly hugged by Asia.

She was surprised for a moment, but then she patted Asia's back. "It's okay," she said. "We'll protect you. All of us."


	15. Chapter 15

Xenovia and Irina were waiting for them in the garden.

"Sorry, Ise-kun," Irina said. "She won't back down."

"Then we'll have to settle this another way," Issei said. "Do you have them, Rias-senpai?"

The Red Ruin Princess used a magic circle to take them out of safe storage. She handed him the two golden handles. He saw Xenovia's eyes widen. Irina shifted her stance uncomfortably. Both of them seemed to recognise these handles.

"You should be able to Promote once the barrier is up," Rias-senpai said. "Be careful."

"I will be."  
"Oh, and uhm," she cast another spell. Issei felt his clothes changing.

He was now wearing the usual jersey he wore for their morning practice.

"I expect you to wear this one for our morning practices," she said. "No excuses."

"Yes, Buchou."

She nodded and stepped back.

A rather roundabout way of saying 'don't get yourself killed'.

Buchou had kindly given him Saturdays and Sundays off, but on all other days, they would do their morning practice together. So he had to make sure he did not rip these clothes since he was supposed to wear them for their practice.

Yuuto cast a spell to change his clothes as well. He had a very similar looking training uniform. The Knight unsheathed his black sword and put the scabbard against the wall. He then took his position next to Issei.

"Ready, Irina?" Xenovia asked.

"Ready."

Both of them took of their robes.

What the…

Beneath the robes they wore a different outfit. It was made of black leather which tightly fit around their frame. While it covered all the important bits, it was so tight fitting he could see the complete outline of their breasts and… down there. The single piece only covered them to their shoulders and thighs, so they both wore another piece which covered their legs and arms. A small gap had been left so they had a zettai ryouiki both at their arms and their legs. It was quite distracting since Issei was a long time fan of the 'absolute territory'.

Around their necks dangled a silver cross.

Talk about inappropriate. Were these really devout church followers?

"Hey, what's with that outfit?" Issei asked. He narrowed his eyes. His initial guess had been correct. They had the exact same breast size, no doubt about that. And it looked like their other sizes and height were the same as well.

"What's wrong, Ise-kun?" Irina asked with a smile. "Is my beauty distracting you?" The white bandages fell off her weapon and revealed a long katana. It reflected the evening sun for a moment.

Hm. Given her weapon, this did make sense. A light katana like that was designed for speed so any real armor would only slow her down.

But…

Xenovia unveiled her own weapon. As expected, it was a massive greatsword. The grip was big enough for four hands her size, yet she casually held it in only one. The crossguards showed sharp metal discs. As if she planned to use them for offense instead of defense. The blade itself was deep blue with grey around the middle part. The entire weapon was almost as long as her own body.

This didn't make any sense. A weapon like that was created for destruction, not speed. But with an outfit like that, someone could deal a crippling attack before she could even lift that thing. With a weapon like that, heavy armor was the way to go.

What was going on here? Surely Xenovia couldn't be  _that_  stupid?

"We'll create a barrier," Rias-senpai said.

Rias-senpai and Akeno-san started casting.

Red and purple circles lit up around them and walled off a reasonably sized area.

Issei took his stance. "Promotion,  _Knight_."

The power surged inside of him. His swords burst to life with red light.

"Those are lightswords," Xenovia cursed.

"Got a problem with that, bitch?" Issei taunted her. The more he could throw her off balance, the better Kiba's odds.

He didn't like the look of that sword. And her outfit didn't make sense. This girl must have some trump card up her sleeve.

"Which exorcist did you steal them from?" Xenovia demanded.

"This is just a little trophy," Issei said. "Can I have your cross after I defeat you? It will look nice on my wall."

A blue aura formed around Xenovia's weapon. He could feel her anger radiating off her.

Magic worked on emotions and she was unable to contain hers well enough.

"I see," Issei said. "So that's how it is." He turned to Kiba "You have to close the distance, no matter what."

"Issei?"

"She's not using her weapon as a sword. She's using it to channel her aura." Exactly the same way his wings worked.

"I don't-"

Xenovia swung her weapon. A blue energy wave shot out of it.

Kiba sidestepped to avoid it.

The wave crashed against the barrier with a loud sound. The shields flickered for a moment, and then restored.

"I see," Kiba said calmly. "So that's how it is." He raised his sword. "Then I'll just have to get close."

"Like I would let you." Xenovia unleashed another holy wave.

He jumped to avoid it.

"That leaves us then," Irina said, she slowly approached him. "My prayers were received."

"You missed me that badly?"

"We may be childhood friends," she warned him. "But you're my enemy now. Oh, why is fate so cruel to me?"

He said nothing.

"I came to a different continent to meet you again and you're a devil now. This must be a trial from the Lord. I have to overcome this to bring us closer." She raised her sword.

"Technically Europe and Asia are on the same continent," Issei pointed out. He jumped back to avoid her strike.

"You're fast," she noted. "How did you get so fast?"

She followed up with a second strike.

He blocked with his left sword and countered with the other one.

"Wow." She threw her head back to avoid his strike.

Irina jumped back to increase the distance.

"This is all wrong," she said. "A devil like you shouldn't be able to wield that weapon. And you shouldn't be so fast."

"Sorry to disappoint you," Issei said.

"Why aren't you closing in on me?" She mumbled. "This is all wrong."

"I don't want to hurt you," Issei said. If only he could stall her enough, Yuuto might come up with something.

Out of the corner of his eye he checked the second fight.

Every strike from Xenovia bombarded the barrier and made it flicker for a second. He saw that Asia had joined Rias-senpai and Akeno-san with the casting to keep it up. Long cracks also showed in the ground. She was ruining his garden.

Kiba was still running around to avoid her strikes, completely unable to close the distance.

"I have to fight you, Ise-kun," Irina said, more to herself than to him. "This is a trial from the Lord. It's just sparring." She raised her blade again, unsure.

Issei easily blocked her clumsy strike with his left blade.

She pushed against him, to no effect.

"No," she said. "I have to fight seriously. I'm sorry Ise-kun. Please forgive me."

Her katana shone bright gold and suddenly changed shape.

What the…

The metal bended around his weapon like a snake. It quickly coiled down to his wrist.

Issei released his left weapon and jumped back.

"What the fuck is that?" He demanded.

"Excalibur Mimic," she said simply. Her blade was now holding the handle of his second weapon. The light had gone out when it left his hand. Irina threw away his lightsword and lifted her own weapon again. It obediently formed itself back into a katana.

"That's cheating."

"Says the man who stole his own weapons," she shot back. "Let's see how you do with just one against the power of Excalibur."

Issei took his remaining light blade with both hands.

His second blade was too far away. He would never reach it from here.

With only one weapon this would be a lot harder.

Not that the outcome of this fight was important.

He heard a sound and looked.

Xenovia had finally landed a hit. Not on Yuuto, but on his weapon. His Holy Eraser was cut off just above the handle.

The Knight released the useless hilt.

Xenovia approached him. "Now it's over," she said.

He smiled. "Exactly."

A bright light came from his hands. It changed shape and formed a new blade, identical to the old one.

Xenovia was too close now. Her heavy weapon would never be in time to block him.

Yuuto's sword slashed over her chest. A deep gash formed. Fresh blood welled up.

He ducked beneath a strike and followed up with several more attacks. Issei could hardly follow the speed.

He had witnessed Yuuto's speed before. Once he closed in, it was very hard to defend. Especially with a heavy greatsword and no armor.

The Knight stopped abruptly. His sword dissolved into thin air.

Xenovia fell on her knees. Countless cuts ran all over her body. Her tight leather uniform was shredded were Kiba's sword had cut through. At the top, the leather fell away and exposed her right breast.

"You," she spit out a mouthful of blood. "Sword Birth. You're a survivor from the Holy Sword Project."

"You could have won if you realised that sooner," Yuuto said calmly.

"Xenovia!" Irina ran to her friend. She had completely forgotten about her fight with Issei.

The barrier went down.

Issei felt the power of Promotion fade away. His sword flickered for a moment and then extinguished.

"She'll live if you let the sister heal her," Yuuto said coldly. He walked away from the wounded girl.

So he had wounded her so heavily on purpose?

Issei looked around. Asia was standing next to him.

"Asia?"

She ignored Issei and walked straight to the kneeling Xenovia.

Irina backed away when she saw the strange look in Asia's eyes.

Asia stopped in front of the wounded girl.

Issei started to doubt whether Asia actually planned to heal Xenovia. After everything Xenovia had said to her, it was entirely possible that-

"Ise," Rias-senpai whispered. "We can't let her die. The church will never allow that. She'll start a war."

"She knows that," Issei said. He looked straight at Rias-senpai. "I trust Asia completely. Is this not the same for you?"

Rias-senpai was taken back for a moment, but then, she slowly nodded.

They looked back at Asia.

Xenovia spat on the ground. Even now, she didn't plan on apologizing.

Would Asia simply let her bleed to death?

He wouldn't really blame her for taking revenge like that. After all, even now Xenovia was not planning to back down.

But it didn't feel right to let her bleed to death while they watched. Even though they were technically enemies.

"Don't worry," Asia said, her voice hard. "Unlike you, I am a true believer."

She crouched down.

"You can't," Xenovia said.

Asia laughed, but there was no humor in it. "I don't need your approval. God gave me the power to heal anyone, so that's what I will do. And  _no one_ ," she grabbed Xenovia's uniform roughly. "Certainly not a hypocrite like you, will stop me." Green aura radiated from her hand.

Xenovia bit her lip.

"God is smiling upon me," Asia said. "Can you say the same? After everything the church did to me? At least I follow the principles our belief is based upon." The wounds were closing rapidly. "I forgive you, Xenovia. As you should have done with me if you were a true believer."

Xenovia bit her lip even harder. He could see blood welling up.

Everyone just stared at Asia. They had never seen her display confidence like that.

Asia finished healing Xenovia. She stood back up and walked away without looking back.

Irina helped her friend up.

"Come on," she said. "We have work to do."

They both seemed determined to get out of here as soon as possible.

While leaning heavily on her friend, Xenovia left them.

Asia stopped next to Issei. She said nothing. Her face was still tense and her eyes looked straight ahead without blinking.

Issei took her hand.

She seemed to snap out of her trance.

"You did well," Issei said.

Her body visibly relaxed. "Was that really alright?" She asked, unsure.

"It was perfect," Issei said.

Asia softly smiled.

"Hyoudou-kun," Yuuto joined them. "Thank you. Without you, I never would have thought to use that trick."

"You might as well call me Ise now," he replied. "We're comrades."

Kiba smiled. "Alright, Ise-kun."

"I think mom will complain about the garden," he said. There were large cracks all over the grass.

Akeno-san chuckled. "I can fix that."

"I have some more things to discuss with all of you," Buchou said. "So I suggest we get inside and see if there is more tea."

They all nodded.

Akeno-san started casting to clean up the cracks.

"Are you coming?" Asia asked.

"I'll be right there."

She understood what he meant.

Asia stood on her tiptoes to give him a kiss and his cheek and then followed the others inside.

He waited until they were out of sight.

"Akeno-san," he called.

"Hm?" She didn't look at him and continued to cast.

"I uhm… I'm sorry I got so mad at you."

She finally turned around. "You had every reason to be angry with me, Ise-kun. I was a bit harsh."

"You were just worried I would hurt myself."

"Still," she said. "I could have just told you that."

"I guess sometimes we have good reasons to hide things," Issei said. He paused for a second.

"But of course," he added. "Sometimes we just think we have good reasons and in reality we're only letting the other person worry for no reason."

A silence fell which lingered for some time.

"Rias and I are working on a solution," she said finally. "But we don't want to give you false hope, it might not work after all."

"Is it a way for me to Promote without danger?"

"Yes," she confirmed his suspicions. "You've seen that it is possible if we make a barrier like this. You don't actually have to travel to  _real_ enemy territory. There are some ways to trick the system."

He had indeed Promoted in his own garden, but there were enemies right on front of him. Surely they didn't mean to ask Irina every time he wanted to train?

"And the Sitri peerage is copying you guys?" He asked.

"The ability to freely Promote is interesting for training purposes," Akeno-san said. "Rias asked advice from Sona-san so it's not that strange they got the idea to do the same."

So that was what they had been working on last night?

"We'll let you know if it works," Akeno-san assured him. She waved her hand to close the last crack.

"Thanks."

They walked inside together.

"That reminds me," Issei said when he opened the door. "I have something for you."

"You do?"

He opened the cupboard beneath the staircase and took out a white plastic bag.

"Maybe a bit inappropriate to give this to you, but I don't know what else to do with it." He handed her the bag. "You don't have to take it if you don't want it."

Akeno-san accepted it and looked inside.

"They bring back bad memories for Asia-chan, so we gave them all away," Issei explained. "But this particular-"

Akeno-san threw her hands around him and hugged him tight.

He forgot what else he wanted to say.

Akeno-san's breasts were even larger than Rias-senpai's. And they were slightly softer. The sensation made it hard to think straight.

"So uhm, you like it?" He asked.

She brought her lips closer to his ear. "I love it."

He could feel her warm breath on his ear. It was a really strange feeling.

She released him again.

"I'll work hard so we can resume our training," Akeno-san promised him. "And, if it's okay with you, I'll wear this for our training sessions."

He swallowed hard. "I don't think I'll be able to focus if you do."

"In the good way or the bad way?"

"Not sure."

Technically Raynare had killed him in that skimpy outfit. But she was just following orders. And she certainly wasn't as crazy as Freed. Although he had only seen her twice so it was hard to tell. But when he imagined Akeno-san in that outfit…

"Don't worry," she said. "I'll make something up. I have more outfits you'll like."

"Akeno?" Buchou called them from upstairs.

"We shouldn't keep her waiting," Akeno-san said.

They took the stairs up.

Everyone was waiting in his room.

Issei spotted a cardboard box under his bed.

He walked past it and casually pushed it further under his bad with his foot. Then, he sat down in the spot between Asia and Rias-senpai.

Akeno sat down in the circle as well. She threw him a glance.

"So," Rias-senpai started. "I have some news."

They all looked attentively at her.

"The autopsy on the dead fallen angel has revealed nothing," Buchou started. "She fell down and her wings were cut off. We can't even tell in what order. No one knows who she is."

That didn't really surprise him.

"We're planning to sent her body to the fallen angels," she continued. "She's one of them, it's only right to return the body. Maybe they know her identity, but I doubt they will tell us even if they do."

"The fallen angels have no reason to help us," Akeno-san brought up. "Quite the opposite. Knowing Valper he's probably doing some dangerous research. They would love to get their hands on that. If they aren't involved themselves that is."

"Indeed," Buchou said. "It's a dead end. But there is more."

She turned to Issei. "We also have the results from the blood analysis. You were right. It is Raynare's blood. It looks like her superiors captured her."

He didn't like the sound of that.

"Can Valper do that?" Issei asked.

"I guess he can," Rias-senpai said. "It's hard to say just how many people are involved in this. Although it is clear they don't want any loose ends."

"But that doesn't help us much either," Koneko-chan said. "It only shows we're dealing with something big."

"There is one more thing though," Buchou said. "We found a dry cleaning who admitted they treated a bishop uniform."

He saw Kiba's hands balling to fists.

"Are we sure it's Valper?" he asked.

"The description doesn't match with him," Buchou admitted. "But really, how many bishop uniforms are there around here? And the owner said the guy who brought it specifically told them to be very careful with it."

"We'll just have to wait," Issei said.

"Last time he brought it in was two days ago," Buchou said. "So it will be a few more days at the very least. My familiar is watching the place, they won't escape us."

Kiba didn't seem in the mood to wait for that.

"It's no use to search aimlessly," Rias-senpai warned him.

"So you want me to just sit around and do nothing?" Kiba argued.

"Don't do anything stupid," she said. "If we know where he is, we're going in. I won't wait until you decide to show up again."

So no more aimless trips basically?

"Fine, I'll wait," Kiba said. He looked quite unsatisfied even though they had a pretty solid lead.

"That's it for now," Rias-senpai said. She stood up. "I'll contact all of you when we have located him." She turned to her Queen. "Akeno."

"Yes, Buchou."

The Queen casted a magic circle.

Seems like these two had other plans. Were they going to work on his Promotion thing or did they they have something else to do?

Whatever it was, they didn't tell him.

"Goodnight, Ise-kun," Rias-senpai said.

"Goodnight," Akeno-san added.

"Yeah, goodnight."

The circle activated and both of them were gone.

"I'm going to train," Kiba announced.

"I'm coming with you," Koneko-chan said. "You'll need a sparring partner."

He nodded.

"I'll see you around, Ise-kun," he said.

"Until next time, Ise-senpai," Koneko-chan added.

The two of them left the normal way via the door.

"That went quite well," Issei said.

Asia embraced him. In her enthusiasm, he fell down backwards and she fell on top of him. Luckily, there were pillows on the ground.

"Hey, calm down."

"You made me worry," she said, pouting. She kept lying on top of him, with her head on his chest.

"Sorry." He slowly stroked her hair. "I couldn't just stand there and let that blue haired bitch say all those mean things about you."

"You could have been killed," she said. "That was a  _Holy Sword_. A piece of Excalibur."

"I don't care," Issei said. "Even if it was God himself, I would fight him."

Her eyes widened. "But-"

"I wasn't asking for your permission, Asia. I'll fight anyone who insults you like that. Whether you want me to or not."

She slowly nodded. "Thanks, Ise-san."

"Say, Asia-chan." His hand travelled down her spine. "Weren't we going to finish something tonight?"


	16. Chapter 16

"Ise-san?" She asked, unsure.

"Hm?" He was trailing kisses along her collarbone. "Sorry. I got carried away a bit."

"No, it's good, but… would you mind if a took a shower first?"

"Oh, no, of course not. Sure." He got up. "I'll just wait here then."

"Thanks."

She gave him a kiss on his cheek.

Asia walked to his closet to take out something.

He looked closer and saw she was holding her bathrobe. Right, that made sense. It was getting late already, she might as well change into her pyjamas.

"Should I change into my pyjamas as well?" He asked.

"No, just wait here. I'll be right back."

"Uhm, okay."

Girls, really, he would never understand them.

Issei laid back on his bed.

A thought suddenly popped in his head.

Did devils need protection?

He remembered Rias-senpai saying something about how devils had a much lower fertility. But that seemed to apply primarily to pureborn devils and less to reincarnated ones. And did that apply if the other person was human?

They hadn't really discussed any of this. And given how out of hand things had gotten in the changing room, he was a bit worried. Once her tongue was in his mouth, his reasoning leaked out. Getting her pregnant seemed like a pretty terrible idea.

Damn. He really should have bought condoms at the mall or something, just in case. Why hadn't he thought of this?

He continued worrying until Asia returned.

She closed the door and waved her hand. He felt a barrier being put in place. No one would be teleporting in his room now.

"Hey, uhm," Issei said. He swallowed hard. "I uhm…"

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I don't have uhm…"

She smiled. "You might want to look in your nightstand."

"My nightstand?"

He opened it.

There was something in it. Multiple somethings actually.

And a little note with it.

'Have fun'.

His mother's handwriting.

Unbelievable.

"So," she sat down on the bed next to him. "We have nothing to worry about. No matter what happens."

He looked at Asia.

There was something about her.

She looked good. Her hair fell smoothly over her shoulders. It was still a bit wet from her shower. Her white bathrobe was loosely tied with a ribbon. He saw quite a lot of cleavage. So much that…

"Are you wearing anything beneath that?" He asked.

"Of course I am, look." She untied the loose knot.

The bathrobe fell open and revealed that she was indeed wearing something beneath it.

It was a red babydoll. He recognised it as the one she had insisted on buying at the store.

The fabric was partly translucent. He could see the outline of her breasts. No bra. The babydoll only fell halfway to her thighs.

He swallowed hard. Holy crap she was hot.

"Do you like it?" She asked.

He replied by kissing her.

She had brushed her teeth. He tasted the fresh mint.

It wasn't long before his hand moved over her nightgown to touch her breasts.

She let the bathrobe fall of her shoulders. Her own hands sneaked under his shirt to explore his chest. Her tongue softly pushed past his lips to progress to tongue kissing.

Hesitantly, Issei moved one of his hands down to her thigh.

He could feel her breathing changing. She starting kissing him harder.

Hesitantly, he moved his hand higher up.

She made a gasping sound when he touched it.

She was still wearing panties beneath her babydoll, but even so…

Asia pushed up his shirt.

He got the hint and roughly pulled it off over one shoulder.

She admired him for a moment and then went back to kissing.

His left hand went back to where it had been and the other one went under her nightgown to touch her bare breast.

He could feel wetness seeping through her panties.

She stopped kissing him for a moment to catch her breath. He moved down to kiss her neck which made her even more breathless.

"Take them off," she pleaded. "I want you to touch me directly."

She really was losing control fast.

Unable to deny a request like that, he hooked his thumbs around the edges of her panties. She lifted her hips so he could pull them down.

Her own fingers moved to his pants. She popped the button and pulled his zipper down. She touched him over his boxers.

They were really going to-

"Ise?" Someone knocked on his door. "Open up."

What the…

They both stopped their movements.

Ruruko-chan?

That was her voice right?

But, why… how… ?

Asia sighed. "That sounds important."

What kind of timing was that?

"This is just a short break," he guaranteed her. The world was really stacked against him.

"Of course." She stood up and waved her hand. Her clothes changed to her previous outfit: the black skirt and the white hoodie.

"No panties," she whispered in his ear. "Just a short break."

"Ise? Are you there?" Ruruko-chan asked again.

"Give me a sec," he yelled. Where was his shirt?

He stood up and searched for it. His fingers fumbled to close his pants in the meantime.

He finally found his shirt and put it on. Backwards first, but correctly after some struggling.

Issei unlocked the door and opened it. "You can't just barge in… here."

Ruruko-chan wasn't her usual bright self.

Her eyes were red rimmed and her hair was messy. It was very strange to see her without the clippers and twin ponytails. Or the smile for that matter.

"It's all  _your_ fault," she said.

"Uhm, Ruruko-chan?" Was she drunk or something?

"You told me to confess," she yelled. " _I've you've got a crush, just tell them. They won't turn down a cute girl like you._  Thanks a lot,  _senpai_."

"You confessed to Saji?"

"Yes. Because _no one_  would turn down a cute girl, right?"

"Oh." He didn't have to ask how that had ended.

"Why was I so stupid?" She wrapped her arms around him and put her face on his chest. He could feel her tears soaking his shirt.

"Come on in," Issei said. "I'll make you some tea."  
"On it," Asia said.

He guided Ruruko-chan inside and made her sit down on his bed. There was only his bed and the desk chair, so not much choice.

"Sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have come. You were busy."

"What, no I wasn't."

She smiled through her tears. "Your zipper is open."

He looked down. "Oh."

Damn.

He closed it.

"I understand," she said. "I should probably go." She raised.

"No," he took her hand. "Stay."

"But, Asia-chan?"

"I have to tell you something," he said.

She hesitantly sat back down.

Issei took a deep breath. "Do you remember what you told me in the hallway. You know about…" he nodded to her chest.

"You want to see them  _now_?"

"No, no. I just wanted to know. Where you just teasing me or where you serious?"

"I… I don't know. Is that important?"

"I don't understand why you confessed to Saji. If he had accepted, what would you do about… us?"

"There's nothing going on between us," she said. "You're with Asia."

Was she really going to pretend like there was nothing going on between them.

As if Ruruko just offered to show her breasts to every boy.

"That doesn't have to be a problem," Issei said.

"I… what?"

"Asia told me she was okay with me doing things with other girls."

"No she didn't. She's your girlfriend."

"Well, why don't you ask her?"

As if on cue, Asia pushed the door open at that point. She was carrying a tray with a few cups on it and a plate with cookies.

She closed the door behind her and walked up to them.

"I'm sorry, Ise-sama" she said. "I didn't have time to change into my uniform."

He sensed what she was getting at.

"Sama?" Ruruko narrowed her eyes.

"You thought Asia was my girlfriend?" Issei asked.

"Well, obviously."

"Well, she's not. She's my servant actually."

"But… how…?"

"Ise-sama saved my life," Asia explained, she put down the tray on the bed. "After that, I pledged my life to him. Shall I leave the two of you alone, Ise-sama?"

"You're messing with me," Ruruko-chan said.

"Of course not," Issei said. "Asia is my servant."

This wasn't technically a lie. Well, sort of.

"Okay, it's a bit more complicated than that," he admitted. "But the truth is that I… I like you, Ruruko-chan, I really do. And I want to get closer to you."

"But… Asia?"

"Is it so weird that I like more than one girl? We've talked about it, she's fine with it."

"But, I…"

Her thoughts were racing.

Why had she confessed to Saji?

She liked him, that wasn't it. But… hadn't there been another reason as well?

Hadn't it been a way to try to push away these other feelings? These much stronger feelings for the boy sitting right next to her. The boy who had interrupted his moment with Asia just because he heard her voice. Her quite unkind voice demanding his attention. He hadn't even hesitated. He hadn't told her to go away. He was there for her when she needed him.

She had believed they could never be together because he liked Asia, but now it looked like…

"Can we speak alone for a moment?" She asked.

"Sure."

"I'll be in my room when you need me," Asia said. She gave Issei a kiss on his cheek and left them.

"What is your relationship with Asia?" Ruruko asked once she was gone.

"Uhm… it's complicated. She's sort of my girlfriend."

" _Sort of_?"

"Yeah."

"Did you have sex?"

"Not yet," Issei said. "Look, I completely understand that you don't want to-"

"I do."

"Huh?"

"The truth is that I really like you too, Ise-senpai. And I understand that you have feelings for Asia that won't just go away. But I don't want to be second choice."

"You're not. This is not a competition, Ruruko-chan. I'm here for you when you need me, me being with Asia doesn't have to change that."

"I know," she said. "I know you'll take good care of me even if you're with Asia-chan as well. But…"

"But what?"

"It's dangerous."

"Dangerous?" What was she talking about?

"You can't live a normal life, can you? I've seen your powers. You'll always be in danger. People will fear you or try to use you."

"That-"

"I know you don't do it consciously, but… Asia has fallen really hard for you. A bit too hard. If something would ever happen to you, she would never recover from it."

"I know," he said. She was speaking his exact concerns. "But there's nothing I can do about that. She  _wants_  to depend on me."

"And you want her to depend on you as well, don't you?"

"You think that's bad? It feels wrong."

"This is between the two of you. If she wants it and you want it who am I to say it is wrong."

"Okay."

"But I don't want this. It's scary, Ise-senpai. If something happens to you, I don't want to be depressed for the rest of my life. I should get away. While I still can, I should break things off with you."

"Maybe that's for the best yeah."

She did have a point there. If she fell for him the same way Asia did, she would never recover if something happened to him. And odds were pretty high something would happen to him.

She nodded. "Thanks for understanding. Can I ask you one more favor, Ise-senpai?"

"Sure."

She shifted closer to him. "Will you kiss me?"

"What?" Hadn't she just said it was better if they broke things off?

"It's a goodbye kiss," she explained. "A precious memory to a future that can never be."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Once I walk out of here, I'll immediately regret it. I'll think about all the things I still wanted to do with you. But if I've already done the most important one, maybe it will be easier. I won't have to worry about never kissing you, because I already have. I'll have this one memory to look back upon whenever I'm in doubt."

He nodded. "Okay then." If that was what she wanted.

Ruruko-chan closed her eyes.

He leaned in and softly kissed her.

It was different than kissing Asia. But maybe that had more to do with the emotion behind it.

He could taste the sadness of this kiss. This was not a kiss that promised a future. It was the exact reverse. A kiss to say goodbye to a future. Not a beginning, but an ending.

He broke off the kiss.

She opened her eyes again. He saw tears glittering inside of them.

"Thanks," she said. "I should go now."

"Hold on. I have one more thing for you."

He opened his drawer and took out something.

"In case you ever need me." He handed her a card.

"A summoning card?" She recognised it. It was one of the cards they handed out to humans.

"Just in case," he said.

"Thanks, Ise-senpai." She hugged him. "I'll see you at school."

"Yeah."

He knew this was idle hope. They would be avoiding each other at school after everything that happened.

The door closed.

Issei sighed. Maybe this really was for the best.

Asia entered.

"You okay?" she asked. She sat down behind him and touched his shoulders. "You're tense," she noted.

"We kissed," he said.

Her hands stopped for a moment. "I understand," she said.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"No, Ise. I told you you could have relationships with other girls as well and I meant it. I want you to be happy. Ruruko-chan is a cute girl, I'm really happy for you."

"We don't have a relationship. We broke things off."

"What? Why?"

"It's too dangerous. If she falls for me and something would happen to me, she would never recover. She doesn't want to be in the same danger as you."

"That's an inherent risk," she replied. "You could get run over by a car tomorrow."

"But you can't deny that the odds are higher for me." He looked at his hands. "With power like this."

"And you think I care?"

"What?"

"I don't care if the chance you survive is only one percent. One percent is more than enough for me."

"That a huge risk you're taking," he pointed out.

"The reward is worth it." She hugged him from behind.

"If you say so."

"I'm sorry things went bad with Ruruko-chan. She's a nice girl. But if she doesn't want to accept this risk, then there's nothing we can do about it."

"Yeah."

A circle lit up next to his ear.

[Ise-kun? Can you hear me?]

"Akeno-san?"

[We have some news. Can we come over?]

"Uhm, sure."

[We'll be there in fifteen minutes. Still have to wrap something up here.] She broke off the communication.

"Something wrong?" Asia asked.

"Akeno-san and Rias-senpai are coming over," he said.

"At this hour?"

"Apparently. She sounded excited so I'm guessing it's good news."

"Okay." She looked a bit sad.

"Sorry."

"It's okay. Maybe it's a sign."

"A sign?"

"A lot happened between us today," she said. "And now with Ruruko-chan and Akeno-senpai coming to visit. Maybe we're not ready yet."

"If you're not ready for something you should tell me," he said. "I don't want to-"

"I wasn't talking about me."  
"What?" Did she mean  _he_ wasn't ready for this? "Of course I'm ready," he said. "I'm a virgin teenager, I-"

"Yes, that's what you're telling yourself. You don't have to lie to me, Ise. Just move at the speed you're comfortable with. I'll be here for you if you're ready."

"But… what about you?"

"Don't worry about me, Ise-san. I'm happy if you're happy."

"You're basically asking for a relationship where I make all the decisions," he said.

"Yeah, something like that," she admitted. "Wasn't that obvious?"

"Sort off, yeah."

"But I understand if you don't want that," she said.

"How is this okay for you?" He blurted out his concerns. "How can you  _want_  this?"

She stood up from the bed and walked to the window.

It was silent for a moment as she looked outside.

"I'm scared," she said, finally.

"Scared?"

"I never had to make any choices, Ise-san. The church decided everything for me. There were strict rules. I woke up when they told me to, I went to sleep when they told me to, I prayed when they told me to and I helped people when they told me to. Sometimes, someone wanted my help but the church told me I couldn't help them because they had been punished by God." She paused for a second. "When I was banished, Father Freed took me in. It was the same. The rules were a bit stricter and the punishments harsher, but it was the same."

"But now you're free," Issei argued.

"And I'm scared," she still didn't look at him. "People learn to love their chains, Ise. Yes, it was harsh, but it was also a relief. I had no responsibilities. I didn't have to worry about anything or anyone. But now… I can't help but wonder if it was the right choice to heal Xenovia. What if you get in another fight with her and she kills you? How would I deal with that? How would I deal with the knowledge that my choice harmed you? And what about Ruruko-chan? Maybe if I had approached her differently I could have convinced her to stay."

"It's not your fault, Asia," he said. "None of it. Everyone makes choices and sometimes we make the wrong ones. We can only try our best."

"But I don't  _want_  to make choices. I don't want to worry about the consequences of my actions. There is another option. People have made choices for me before."

"That's wrong. Those people were controlling you against your will."

"Yes. But now it is my will. This is what I want, Ise." She still couldn't meet his eyes. "This is not something that's taken from me, this is something I want to  _give_  you because I love you."

He swallowed hard. "And what if the choice I make is wrong?"

"That's fine. I don't expect you to always make the right choice. It's enough to know that you are trying."

"That's still an awful lot of responsibility you're giving me," he said.

"Sorry. You don't have to accept it if you don't want to. I understand if-"

He wrapped his arms around her.

"Ise?" She hadn't noticed he had walked up behind her.

"I'll accept it," he said. "All of it."

"I…"

"If that is really what you want, I'll try. But if there really is a problem you have to tell me. I don't want you to force yourself. Promise me, Asia."

"I… I promise," she said.

He turned her around.

She leaned in to kiss him.

It was a strange kiss. He could feel her body surrendering to him. It felt a bit scary. She was hanging in his arms. Isse was physically holding her up. If he released her now, she would fall down, in more than one way.

A noise behind them disturbed them.

"Bad timing?" A voice asked.

"Ara ara, Ise-kun," a second voice said. "Having fun are we?"

He released Asia.

"We were just discussing some things," he said.

"Your marriage date?" Rias-senpai asked.

"Where did you get that?"

"Asia-chan looks far too satisfied."

"Can I be the flower girl?" Akeno-san offered.

"Didn't the two of you have something important to say?" He changed the subject.

"Yes," Buchou said. "It looks like it worked."

"What worked?" He asked.

"We may have found a way for you to Promote without danger."

"Oh. How did you do that?"

"I'll show you," Rias-senpai said. "Akeno?"

"On it." She raised her hands and summoned a magic circle.

"I'll just wait here then," Asia said.

"You can get into this one as well," Rias-senpai said.

"I can?"

"It's a special one."

Akeno finished the circle.

They all stood inside of it.

The circle activated and Issei felt the familiar sensation of teleportation. Only this time it felt a bit different. Like he was travelling further.

It took a longer time before his surroundings came into view.

"The clubroom?"

"Not exactly," Rias-senpai said. "Look outside."

He walked to the window.

What the…

Green light floated around the edges of the school.

"What is that?" He asked. "What is out there?"

"Nothing," Akeno-san said. "There's nothing behind that barrier."

"We're not in the clubroom are we?"

"No," she said. "This is a separate dimension. A copy of our school."  
"I see."

"Have a seat, Ise," Rias-senpai said.

He sat down on the couch. It felt the exact same as the real couch back on the clubroom.

He saw Asia remained standing.

Confused, he gestured for her to sit next to him, which she did after a short hesitation.

She was acting a bit weird.

He saw her fidgeting and pulling her skirt down.

Oh, right, she wasn't wearing panties. He had forgotten that for a moment. And her skirt was really short.

Rias-senpai and Akeno-san sat down opposite of him.

"Are you familiar with Rating Games?" Rias-senpai asked.

"I've heard the term before, but I have no idea what it is." He tried focusing on the conversation.

"Rating Games are some kind of battle royal chess matches. Two peerages travel to a Game Field and battle each other."

"A competition?" He asked.

"Yes. Winning Rating Games raises your social standing. The top ten are revered as heroes."

"I see."

"Now," she said. "According to the rules of a Rating Game, Pawns can Promote when they reach the enemy base. In this case that is the principal's office in the new school building."

"But… there are no enemies here," Issei argued.

"Yes. But does the field care about that? Rating Games were specifically designed for the Evil Pieces system. This is a real Game Field and we designated the principal's office as the enemy base."

"So if I go there I might be able to Promote?"

"Maybe. If that doesn't work, we'll ask the Sitri peerage to send someone here to simulate a real Rating Game. But we're hoping that won't be necessary."

"You made all this for me?"

"It was Akeno's idea to be fair," Rias-senpai said. "But yes."

Wow.

"I hope you're happy with it," Akeno-san said. She took something out of her pocket. "We made cards with magic circles so you can travel here whenever you want to. If it works, I'll also be training your magic in here."

"It's amazing," Issei said.

"Thanks."

"We shouldn't get too excited," Rias-senpai said. "We haven't tested out if it works yet."

"Let's do it then." Issei stood up. Asia quickly followed his example. There was a faint blush on her cheeks.

"While we're at it," Rias-senpai took out a few glowing red marbles. "I want to test these as well."

"Those are the communication devices we used when I fought Freed."

"Yes. I'm curious whether they also work on Asia-chan since she's not a part of my peerage."

They all put one in their ear.

"I'll wait here," Rias-senpai said.

The three of them walked out.

[Can you hear me?] Buchou asked when they were halfway down the hall.

"Loud and clear," Issei said. "Can you hear her as well, Asia?"

"Yeah, it works."

[Good.]

They took the stairs down.

"This must have been a lot of work to build," Issei said.

"It's the details that are the hardest," Akeno-san said. "Normally specialised people work on this, so we weren't certain if we could pull it off by ourselves. But it worked."

"We'll have to see. Maybe I can't Promote because there are no enemies here." They shouldn't get their hopes up too much.

"Even if it doesn't work, a private space like this has many advantages. You can try out destructive magic without worrying. Or try out tactics. Or you know, when you need a little privacy." She glanced meaningfully at Asia.

Asia turned even more red.

"No one can disturb you here," Akeno-san added, she moved closer to him. "Only we can get in."

"So," Issei changed the subject. "That is what the Sitri peerage is doing at the mall?"

"Yeah." She moved away again. "They are trying to recreate it as a Game Field. The mall is more suited for their purposes. They primarily want to test out tactics after all."

"I see."

They rounded the gym and reached the old school building.

"What happens if we damage something here?" Issei asked.

"The same thing that would happen in the real world," Akeno-san said. "We can repair things with magic though. As long as you don't destroy too much, because then we'd be in trouble."

"What would happen then?"

"The barrier would become unstable."

"Is that bad?" It sure sounded bad.

"Let's just say that you should teleport away before that happens."

They reached the principal's office.

"Here goes nothing."

Issei opened the door and entered.

He felt something. A strange sensation in his body.

"Promotion,  _Rook_."

A red gauntlet appeared on his arm with a red flash.

"Looks like it worked," he said.

"Indeed." Akeno-san touched her ear to relay a message to Rias-senpai.

[I'm going to test one more thing.]

"Sure, what is it?" He asked.

[I'm gonna check if it still works if we leave. It's possible the field only believes this is a Rating Game because Akeno and I are here.]

"Alright." She was a King, so maybe her presence was needed for this.

[You can get back with Asia-chan. Her magic circles can take you out of here.]

"Okay."

[Just tell me tomorrow how it went. See if you can Promote to everything and if you can leave the office and stay Promoted.]

"Okay. See you tomorrow."

The connection broke off.

"See you tomorrow, Ise-kun." Akeno-san summoned a circle and left as well.

Issei checked his arm. The gauntlet was still there.

He went to the hallway.

No problem.

"Can you use Freed's power?" Asia asked.

"I'd have to Promote again I think." He closed his eyes. "Promotion,  _Knight_."

His gauntlet vanished.

Like he had thought. The piece he Promoted to had to match the type of power he wanted to use.

"Promotion,  _Bishop_."

Two silver rings appeared on his middle fingers.

Asia's power: Twilight Healing.

"Seems like everything works fine," Asia said.

"Yeah."

There was a short silence.

"Did you do that on purpose back there?" She asked.

"Sorry, I forgot you weren't wearing panties."

"Ye, Ise," she pouted.

"Sorry. But you know, you could have remained standing, or used magic to put on panties."

"Yes, but you wanted me to sit down."

"But… wait, did you think I was testing you?"

"Uhm, yeah."

"I wouldn't do that to you," he said.

"It's…" she looked away. "It's okay. I don't mind."

"You weren't embarrassed?"

"Of course I was embarrassed," she looked back at him.

"But you don't mind? That doesn't make any sense, Asia."

"I… stop asking me so many questions." She blushed even more.

Did he really not understand it or was he just teasing her?

Given his chuckle, she guessed it was the latter.

There was a short silence.

"Are you really certain about this?" He asked eventually.

She turned and saw he was sitting on the desk chair of the principal. His smile had made way for a serious expression.

Asia sat down on the desk in front of him.

"Honestly? No, I'm not certain at all. I never thought we would get here. I never believed I would actually fall for anyone."

"Me neither," he admitted. "I have no idea how to handle these feelings."

"Just tell me what you want, Ise. We can figure this out, together."

"Well." He nodded to his legs.

She smiled. Graciously, she slid off the desk to sit on his lap, her head facing him.

"Better?" She asked.

"Yeah. Much better."

"Good."

He leaned in to kiss her.


	17. Chapter 17

With a crashing sound, the punching bag fell down.

"Be careful," Irina warned her.

"It's the ceiling," Xenovia said. She studied the hooks. They had taken some stone with them when the punching bag fell. This building was pretty old after all.

"I wasn't talking about the building," Irina said.

"I'm fine," Xenovia said. She wiped the sweat from her brow.

"Twilight Healing does not restore blood loss. Don't overdo it."

Xenovia had been training almost non-stop since this morning.

"That Knight beat me."

"He tricked you," Irina argued. "In a fair fight you would have won."

"It may have escaped your notice, Irina, but the world isn't fair."

She threw the punching bag against the wall.

Irina opened her mouth, and then closed it again.  
"Sorry," Xenovia said. "I didn't mean that."

"It's okay."

"I need to be stronger," Xenovia explained. "If I can't beat someone like that, we have no hope of retrieving the pieces of Excalibur."

"Our agents are-"

A magic circle lit up in the room.

[We found them,] a male voice said.

"That's fast," Irina noted.

[All three of them are together,] the voice added.

"What?"

[That's why we found them so fast.]

"We're coming," Xenovia said. "Wait for us."

* * *

"It's getting late," Hanakai pointed out.

"Yeah you're right," Ruruko said. The few shops that were open on Sunday were long closed by now. The hallways were deserted.

"That's because the two of you constantly get distracted," Saji complained. "We could have been done hours ago."

"Hey, it's not my fault we had to do the pet store," Hanakai said.

"That hamster was not  _that_ cute," Saji argued.

"Look, we're almost done," Hanakai said. "Let's just finish up and go… home?"

She narrowed her eyes. "What's that aura?"

"What aura?" Ruruko asked.

"I feel it too," Saji said. "Something's not right here. This smells of church."  
"It could be a priest passing by our something," Ruruko suggested.

"At this hour?"

"Good point."

"We should probably-"

They could see light in the distance. Were those flashlights?

A few seconds later, it became clear what it was. Flashlights mounted on rifles.

Four men were running towards them, all dressed in black with balaclavas hiding their faces.

"Run," Saji said. "I'll hold them off." He made his Sacred Gear appear.

"But-"

"Come, on Ruruko." Hanakai took the arm of her junior and dragged her away.

They heard gunshots behind them. Ruruko didn't dare to look back.

Hanakai pulled her into a room.

The girl's lavatory.

The Bishop immediately brought her hand to her ear.

"They've cut off our magic communication," she said. "I can't contact Kaichou or Saji-kun."

"Move aside," Ruruko said. She pulled out something from her pocket.

"That is-"

She threw the card. A red magic circle lit up.

* * *

Asia hugged him from behind.

"Are you coming, Ise? I'm lonely without you."

He pulled out his toothbrush. "I'm trying to brush my teeth, Asia-chan."

"You shouldn't keep a girl waiting." She pressed her chest harder against his back.

"This would go faster if you weren't distracting me all the time," he pointed out.

"Fine, fine. I'll just wait for you in your room then."

She kissed him on his cheek and left the bathroom.

Honestly, that girl.

Red sparks appeared around his feet.

He looked down.

A magic circle?

How…

His surroundings blurred. The next moment, his feet hit the ground hard. He somehow managed to keep his balance. The cold feeling of the floor permeated through his socks.

"Ise."

Someone hugged him. Someone very warm. He felt the familiar sensation of breasts against his chest.

Ruruko-chan? Given the size and softness it had to be her.

"Give him some space, Ruruko," a voice said softly.

The girl released him.

Issei looked around. His devil eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness.

A restroom?

Yeah, little doubt about it. Several stalls on one side and mirrors with sinks on the other side. This was a public restroom.

Apart from him and Ruruko-chan, there was a girl with lazy black curls he recognised as one of Sona's Bishops. What was her name again?

Before he had time to think about it, they heard footsteps in the hallway.

"In there," the Bishop whispered on a low tone.

Ruruko spread her wings. She took a few steps back and then ran forward and jumped. With her wings, she propelled herself upward to jump over the partition door.

"You too," the girl said. She spread her wings as well.

"Promotion,  _Bishop_ ," he whispered.

He felt his magic powers surge. His wings spread out. Issei tried not to think of the implication of being able to Promote as he jumped over the door.

He landed into the stall.

As he had gathered before, this was a bigger stall which contained the equipment of the people who cleaned this place. Still, it wasn't  _that_  big.

The black haired girl landed next to them and took up what little free space remained.

He felt a cart pricking against his back. Ruruko accidentally stepped on his foot. She quickly mouthed an apology and stepped back only to bump against a stack of brooms. She quickly caught one before it could fall down.

They all dismissed their wings to free up space.

The door opened.

Two beams from flashlights searched the place.

They froze. Ruruko-chan was still holding a broom to prevent it from falling.

Issei held his breath.

"Not here either," a rough voice said.

"We have to find them," a second voice said.

"Maybe they aren't here," the first voice suggested. "They could have escaped."

"Don't be ridiculous," the second voice replied. "The barrier just went up, they can't leave. We keep searching."

The door closed again. The footsteps slowly faded away.

Issei released his breath.

"I'm going to check outside," the Bishop announced quietly.

Ruruko-chan nodded. He spotted little tears in her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away with her free hand.

"Where are we?" Issei asked in a low voice.

Ruruko-chan swallowed hard. "Department store." She put down the broom softly.

"At this hour? On a Sunday?"

"We were finishing up our research in the hallways," she explained.

Right, the hallways didn't close, only the stores themselves.

"We?" He asked.

"Me, Hanakai-senpai and Saji-senpai. When the masked men appeared, Saji-senpai told us to hide."

"And then you summoned me?"

"I didn't know what to do," she said. "I…"

Her voice trailed off. He saw more tears appear in her eyes.

"It's okay," he pulled her in for a hug. "I'm here now."

"I'm scared," she admitted.

"It's okay, no one is going to hurt you," Issei assured her.

He had never seen Ruruko-chan so scared. Not even when Freed had captured her.

"They are gone," the voice of the Bishop reported. "But they put up a barrier over the building."

Ruruko-chan released him. "Coming."

She spread her wings and jumped over the partition.

Issei followed her example.

"What now?" He asked as he dismissed his wings.

"We have to find Saji-kun," the Bishop said calmly.

"Right. But shouldn't we get outside help?" He suggested.

"How are you going to do that?" She asked. "Shortly after we summoned you, a barrier went up."

If a barrier had gone up, then how had they gotten him inside?

Either the cards worked differently since the circle was pre-recorded or they had managed to summon him just before the barrier went fully up. Probably the latter.

"Right, but." He took out his phone from his pocket and checked. "I have perfect reception here."

She was stunned for a second. "Right. Great idea." She took out her own phone.

He called Rias-senpai and explained the situation as quickly as possible.

[Stay where you are,] she told him. [We'll be there as soon as possible.]

"Do you think this is related to Valper?" He asked her.

[It can't be a coincidence. Stay there, we're coming.] She hung up.

"Any luck with you?" He asked.

"Kaichou is coming as well. But… if they try to break through from the outside…"

She didn't have to finish that sentence. Breaking through from the outside would draw a lot of attention. And they had no idea in what situation Saji was.

"Let's search the building," Issei suggested.

She nodded.

They opened the door. The hallway was deserted.

"It's best if we split up. We'll cover more ground that way," the Bishop said.

He looked at Ruruko-chan.

"She's right," the Pawn said. "We have to find Senpai."

"Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself?"

"I can handle myself, Ise."

"Right." He looked at the Bishop. "How should I contact you?"

"Hold on." She operated her cell phone to send him her number.

_Hanakai Momo_. Right, now he remembered.

"Where were you attacked?" Issei asked.

"Over there, near the pet store," Hanakai pointed.

"Right, Ruruko-chan, can you check out that side?" He asked, pointing in the other direction.

"Okay."

"We'll go to the middle then."

They were on the second floor in the northern corridor, about halfway to the end. At the end was a staircase going down. It was likely the masked men would search systematically, meaning they would run down this hallway, take the stairs down and search the other hallway in reverse direction. This meant that Ruruko would be behind them at all times, which gave her the smallest chance of detection.

To search the other hallways, he and Hanakai would have to cross the middle circle which gave them a huge risk of being seen.

"Call if anything happens," he said.

"Okay." Ruruko-chan went to the right. He and Hanakai went left.

"You seem very calm," Issei noted.

"Ruruko-chan is my precious junior, I can't let anything happen to her."

Hanakai's face was tense.

"I feel the same way."

"She's having a rough time," Hanakai said without looking at him.

"Yeah. I heard Saji-kun turned her confession down."

"I wasn't talking about that."

"Huh?"

"You're the one who turned her down."

"I just told her it was a bad idea to fall in love with me, nothing else."

"Sure, tell her that  _after_ she falls in love with you, great idea. It's already too late. Be a man and take responsibility."

They reached the atrium.

Why did everyone want him to take responsibility?

His phone vibrated.

Was it Ruruko…

Oh, Asia.

He picked up. "I can't talk right now."

[There's someone who wants to speak with you,] Asia said.

"Huh?"

[Ise-kun?]

"Irina?"

"Shh, keep it down," Hanakai warned him.

"Sorry."

[Be careful, Ise-kun. I think I know who those men are.]

"You do?"

[Several pieces of Excalibur were stolen from the church. The trail led here. This barrier type is familiar to me. I think there are Holy Sword users in the department store.]

"Damn." That didn't sound good.

[Listen to me carefully. The three stolen blades are Excalibur Rapidly, Nightmare and Transparency. You need to-]

"There they are."

A beam of light illuminated them.

Fuck.

A loud sound reverberated through the air. Gunshot?

He felt a burning pain in his elbow. The phone slipped through his fingers and fell on the ground.

Issei quickly jumped behind a plant.

Either he was wrong and those men had run back, or there were more than two people here. The latter seemed more likely since Irina had mentioned three blades.

Issei focused to summon Twilight Healing. The rings appeared obediently.

He healed the wound in his arm. It was most likely a light bullet. The burning sensation was familiar to him.

His own light weapons were stored in a separate dimension and only Rias-senpai could retrieve them. A careless mistake.

Issei peered around the plant. There were only two of them. They were both moving around trying to get a clear shot at him. Strangely, he spotted only black rifles, no Holy Swords.

More light bullets rained past him when one of them found a pillar which gave him a clean shot.

Issei moved around to avoid the bullets.

He couldn't stay here. The other one would reach him as well at this rate. His phone was broken and Hanakai-

Oh fuck.

He only realised it now.

Hanakai was lying on the ground. Blood was slowly leaking from various wounds. She hadn't been in time to dodge the hail of light bullets. But she was still alive. He could see her impressive chest rising and falling softly.

_Think_. He had to get her out of there, that was obvious, but if he moved he would be vulnerable. He needed some kind of distraction to pull her away.

But what could he…

Wait a minute.

The glass dome.

"Promotion,  _Knight_." He summoned Freed's light powers.

A flash of light burst out of his hand.

He heard screams.

With his eyes closed, he ran forward. He found Hanakai and dragged her into the corridor.

When he opened his eyes again, he was in the hallway.

It had worked. By dispersing his light magic, it hadn't done real damage. But the blinding light had reflected of the glass dome and ruined their night vision for a moment.

That had given Issei enough time to drag Hanakai in the hallway.

But they were recovering quickly.

Damn.

Issei tried to move faster, but this was no easy task with a limp women on your back. Although the sensation of her breasts was-

A light bullet barely missed him.

He looked back.

One of the masked men had already reach the hallway.

Issei raised his hand and fired a light bullet. It hit the flashlight on the gun and scattered it.

The gun fired again, but Issei moved to the side to evade.

The man was firing blindly which made it hard to hit him.

However, the second man joined him. His light was still intact.

Issei fired another light attack, but this man sidestepped and avoided him.

Before he could fire a second time, something wrapped around the man's feet. Something black.

The masked man looked down. The sudden force applied caused him to lose balance and fall down.

"Don't go forgetting about me," Saji said. Some kind of lizard head was on his arm like a gauntlet.

More bullets fired from the first gun.

Saji cursed and ducked into the hallway.

"Time to run," he announced.

They both took an arm of Hanakai and dragged her behind them as they ran as fast as possible.

He heard more gunshots behind them.

Issei changed to Bishop to summon a shield.

It stopped the light bullets, but it was flickering dangerously every time a bullet hit it. He wouldn't be able to keep this up for long.

They barely reached the staircase and pushed open the door.

"Ise?" Ruruko-chan looked very confused. She was just moving upwards.

"Other way," Issei said quickly.

"We can't," she said.

"Why-"

Oh fuck.

A man was calmly walking up the stairs.

He carried a sword in his right hand. A golden sword with an ominous aura.

"Damn."

Saji tried turning around, but the door burst open behind them.

The two riflemen entered. They aimed their weapons at them.

"End of the journey, boys," the Holy Sword user said. "I'm impressed your little Pawn took out two of my men though."

"Let me heal the Bishop," Issei said. "She'll die at this rate." Even if they lost, he couldn't let her die.

"I don't care," the man said.

"If you didn't care you would have attacked us right now. Or given those idiots behind me the order to kill us."

"I don't need  _all_ of you alive."

Ruruko-chan was fast. While the guns were being aimed at Saji and Issei, she grabbed one with both hands and roughly pulled it from the man's grip.

She aimed it, not at the enemies, but at Issei's head.

"Let him heal her," she demanded.

"Sir," the disarmed man said. "That's Hyoudou, we can't let her-"

"That's enough," he said, he turned to Ruruko. "You consistently get on my nerves, little Pawn."

She smiled. "Sorry about that."

He looked at Issei. "Go ahead and heal her. But one sudden move and you're dead."

Issei nodded. He summoned his Twilight Healing.

Of course, he couldn't be certain they wouldn't just kill her after he was done healing her, but right now, he didn't have many other options. They had to stall while he came up with a plan.

If he could disarm the second guard they might be able to get away. But he would first have to heal Hanakai so she could run herself.

"Michael," a new voice said.

Two other men came from downstairs, both breathing heavily.

They were carrying the other two Holy Swords.

Now they really had no more options. Even if they wanted them alive, if they actually tried to break out now, they'd most likely die in the crossfire. And there was no telling what abilities those Holy Swords had. And that was not even counting the fact he had already depleted his magic and stamina severly and there was a barrier up.

He finished healing her. Hanakai opened her eyes again.

"Now give me the gun," the man named Michael demanded.

Ruruko hesitated for a moment.

"It's no use, Ruruko," Issei said. "We'll never break through."

"I know."

She lowered the rifle and handed it over.

"Cuff them," Michael ordered.

His arms were roughly pulled behind his back. Cold steel handcuffs locked in place.

"Let's go back to the atrium."

Issei stumbled and almost fell on the stairs when one of the men pushed him roughly.

"What are you going to do with us?" He asked.

"Depends on what your lovely King will do," Michael said. "If she complies with our demands, we'll let you go."

"What demands?"

"None of your business."

And that ended their conversation.

They reached the bottom. As expected, they were pushed down the hallway to the atrium in the middle.

Stupid mistake. Why was he walking around unarmed? He should have at least have a lightblade with him or something. Or even a regular gun.

Maybe they should have tried to break free. If Ruruko had fired a shot at the second rifleman, they might have gotten away. But it was no use now of course.

They reached the atrium. The men put Ruruko and Issei against one pillar and Hanakai and Saji against another. They both had one guard. The one with the broken flashlight who Ruruko had disarmed earlier stood with them, the other one with Saji and Hanakai.

"Now, send our demands outside," Michael ordered.

"To which one?" The second Holy Sword user asked.

"The one with the biggest chest," he said sarcastically. "Just pick someone, moron."

"Right. On it."

* * *

"They want  _what_?" Rias asked.

"They want us to hand over Freed," Akeno repeated. "And the two pieces of Excalibur."

"You can forget that," Xenovia said immediately. "Why would we hand them over?"

"They have Ise-kun," Irina argued.

"He's a  _devil_. We can't compromise our mission for him."

"You don't have a choice," Rias said. "Refusing makes you our enemies. Are you trying to start a war?"

"This is ridiculous," Xenovia said. "You can't just expect us to go along with this."

"I must agree with her," Sona said. "How do we know for sure the hostages will be released if we fulfill their demands?"

"Well, if we do nothing they certainly won't be released," Rias argued

"That doesn't mean we should just go along with them."

"What do you suggest we do? Barge in there?"

"No, they'll kill the hostages if we do."

Rias paced around. Her frustration was obvious to everyone.

They were stuck. The only choice they had was to comply with their demands, but what guarantee did they have that Issei and the others would be released if they did?

"We could pretend to comply," Tsubaki suggested. "We send the exorcists inside with Freed to hand over their weapons, but they attack instead."

"That's a pretty risky idea," Sona said. "But I guess it's the best we can do. They didn't give us much time."

"Is that okay to the two of you?" Tsubaki asked.

"Hm," Xenovia said. "This is a great opportunity. All three pieces of Excalibur are inside."

"We'll do it," Irina said.

"Good," Rias said. "I'll retrieve Freed from the underworld then."

It was still a very risky plan, but it was all they had. She could only hope it would work.

* * *

They both took an arm of Freed and dragged him with them. He was tied up with chains and gagged with a cloth.

When they reached the door, the barrier was disabled for a moment.

They walked through and saw the barrier being put in place again.

"Right," Xenovia said.

They both dropped Freed. He cursed through his gag.

Xenovia grasped her sword with both hands.

"Drop your weapons," one of the Holy Sword users said. "Or we'll kill them."

"Go ahead," Xenovia said. "You think we care? Those are devils."

"Damnit Michael, I told you this was a stupid idea."

"What are you talking about?" Michael said. "This is perfect. They've come to hand us their weapons."

"If you want it, you'll have to come pry it from my cold dead hands," Xenovia said.

He licked his lips. "Perfect."

"We have to do something," Issei whispered.

"Hey," their guard said. "Don't try-"

The rest of his sentence was lost when the wave hit him. It was one of those blueish waves Xenovia released from her sword. The guard was thrown backwards. His weapon fell out of his hands.

Issei checked the second guard.

He was occupied with firing at Xenovia and Irina. He wasn't even paying attention to his prisoners. This was his chance.

Issei scrambled to his feet. "Promotion,  _Knight_."

He aimed his hand at the chain links and fired his holy powers. It took him three tries to snap the chain.

The links were still on them, but the chain between them had broken.

He quickly freed Ruruko-chan as well.

They looked around. Saji and Hanakai sat near the other pillar, still cuffed.

The weapon the guard had held had fallen down when the wave hit him.

Issei ran to it and picked it up.

If it fired light bullets he should be able to-

"Drop it," a rough voice said.

He turned around.

The man had removed his balaclava. One of his eyes was beaten blue.

In his hand, he held a knife which was pressed against…

"Ruruko-chan."

He held her up by one of her ponytails with his free hand and used the other to press a knife against her throat. Ruruko was grabbing that arm with both hands, but she wouldn't be able to stop him from slitting her throat. The man was a head taller and more than twice as broad. He could throw her across the room without breaking a sweat.

"Calm down," Issei said. He threw a glance sideways. The battle wasn't looking so well. Freed had been released from his chains. Xenovia and Irina were now fighting against four sword users and a one guard with a rifle. There was only so much they could do against such a force.

At this rate they would all die.

"Put the gun down," the man demanded.

"Alright, alright," he slowly lowered the weapon.

Freed's marksmanship was good. From this distance, he should be able to pull off a headshot without trouble. But the risk was big. What if the man was faster?

He was halfway down to the ground now. Then, he saw Ruruko mouthing something.

_Prom- Promotion? Rook?_

He quickly raised the gun again and took aim.

The man tried to move his knife, but Ruruko's hands held him off.

"What the-"

Issei fired.

It was a headshot.

Fresh blood rained down on the tiles.

The man's body dropped down like a puppet which had its strings cut.

He briefly checked if Ruruko was alright and then turned.

The battle was really looking bad. Irina was on the ground, bleeding from countless wounds. Her weapon was lying a few steps further. They had managed to kill or incapacitate the riflemen, but the four swordsmen were still standing. They all closed in on Xenovia now. She was breathing hard and blood dripped from various wounds.

Issei took aim and fired.

The distance was bigger so he had played it safe and aimed for his chest.

His light bullet hit a bit further to the right on his shoulder blade.

The Holy Sword user dropped his weapon.

They all turned.

Xenovia used the distraction to attack. Her wave attack blasted one of the enemies off his feet. He landed several steps further. Somehow, he managed to hold onto his weapon.

Xenovia fell down on one knee. Clearly, she had used almost all her remaining stamina for this.

The entire building shook.

The barrier flickered for a second. Rias-senpai and the others were tired of waiting it seemed.

"Time to go," Freed announced.

One of the Holy Sword users took something from his pocket and threw it on the ground.

Black smoke filled the room.

"See you later, devil boy," Freed's voice echoed.

"Ise," he heard his name being called.

"Ruruko?" He walked in the direction of her voice.

She yelled his name again.

Their hands touched.

Ruruko moved closer and embraced him.

"Shh, it's okay," Issei said. He patted her back. "I'm here."

"Don't leave me alone," she said.

"I won't," he promised.

"Someone clear away this stupid smoke," a voice demanded.

Rias-senpai.

A gust of wind blew through the atrium.

The smoke was blown out of the open doors.

"Are the two of you okay?" Rias-senpai asked.

"We're fi-"

He was hugged by Asia-chan as well.

"Calm down," Issei said. Getting hugged by two girls was a bit overkill.

He patted their backs.

They released him after a moment.

Ruruko and Asia shared a strange look.

Jealousy? He couldn't tell.

Issei walked to Rias-senpai.

"I'm sorry Buchou, it's all my fault."

"What are you talking about? There's nothing you could have done."

"We lost Freed. If I had been armed from the very beginning I could have prevented this."

If only he had a lightsword with him from the very beginning, things might have turned out differently.

"You couldn't have known-"

"Don't be ridiculous. We know Valper is up to something. I should have been more prepared."

"Ise," she put her hands on his shoulders. "You're working really hard, none of this is your fault."

He nodded, although he wasn't fully convinced.

Issei checked the damage.

The three Holy Sword users had vanished along with Freed. They had taken their Holy Swords with them and also Irina's weapon. Xenovia had managed to hold onto her own weapon. The riflemen were both dead.

"Damn," Rias-senpai said. "No witnesses."

"There are two more," Ruruko said. "At the staircase in the northern hallway. I think they might still be alive."

"You took out two of them?"

She shrugged.

"Ruruko has been training hard," Saji said. He had been released it seemed.

He saw Ruruko look at him. There was an unspoken tension between the two of them. Clearly, things had been awkward since her confession.

"I think those two need some healing," Issei said. He nodded towards the two church agents.

"Are you sure?" Hanakai asked. "They were going to let us die. These are our enemies."

"So you know what the pieces of Excalibur do?" Issei asked.

"Well, not really."

"Which means we still need them." If Valper had four Holy Swords, they'd better know what these things could do.

Issei approached Irina.

"We'll help you if you tell us everything you know about the pieces of Excalibur," he said.

She nodded weakly.

"Hyoudou-kun," a voice said.

He looked at Xenovia. She was not as badly wounded as Irina. She could still stand, although he noticed she let her right leg carry most of her weight.

"Thank you," the church warrior said. "You saved me with that shot."

"I didn't do it for you," he replied.

"Your intentions are not relevant," Xenovia said. "The result was the same. Without that shot, I would have died. Which means I owe you my life."

He said nothing.

Asia moved to heal Xenovia.

The blue haired girl said nothing as Asia healed her.

When Asia was done, Xenovia walked to Irina and helped her up.

"I'll tell you all I know tomorrow," Irina promised him.

"Okay."

Xenovia waved her hand to create a teleportation circle.

Irina had to lean heavily on Xenovia to stand in it.

It was the exact reverse from the last fight.

The circle flashed white and both were gone.

"There's no telling whether they will keep their promise," Saji noted.

"They will," Issei said. "Don't worry."

"Let's get you home," Rias-senpai said. "You'll need some rest for your training tomorrow." She cast a magic circle.

"We're still doing our training?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Of course we're doing our training. I said no excuses. I expect you tomorrow at five."

"What?"

"Alright, let's make it six just this once."

"I'll settle for six thirty."

She gestured towards the circle, indicating this was non-negotiable.

"Okay, fine."

""Wait.""

Both his left and right arm were grabbed at the same time.

He looked at Asia and Ruruko.

"Sorry," Ruruko said. "You can go first."

"It's nothing," Asia said. "I'll see you at home, Ise-kun."

She cast a magic circle.

"Hey."

Before he could stop her, the circle activated and she was gone.

"We'll search the building," Rias-senpai announced. "Oh, and." She put her hands on his wrist. A crimson light flashed and the metal broke.

She repeated the same procedure with his other hand and with Ruruko's cuffs.

"Let's just hope we find something," she said.

Rias-senpai issued instructions to the others.

They all left in different directions.

He and Ruruko were left alone in the atrium.

"I uhm…" Ruruko started. "Thanks for saving me. Again."

"I'm used to it by now. Look, Ruruko, we should-"

"No." She grasped his arm tighter.

"Didn't we agree it was best to keep our distance?"

"I don't care," she said. "I know it's dangerous, I know you're with Asia and I know this is a terrible idea, but even so… I can't stay away from you."

"You're probably just emotional from-"

"No!" she insisted loudly. "It's not fair. Why should Asia-chan be with you and not me?"

"Well… I…"

Hadn't they agreed it was too dangerous?

She finally looked at him. "You promised you wouldn't leave me alone anymore."

"That was… you're stretching the meaning of that a bit."

"So you were lying to me?"

"I… are you trying to guilt trip me?"

"No," she pouted. "I would never do that to you. How can you think that about me?"

He sighed. "Fine."

He scooped her up in his arms.

"Hey." She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck to stabilize herself. "What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm taking you home with me."

She blushed deep red. "But… what about your parents? What about Asia?"

"Don't worry about all that."

"But-"

"No more buts. I've made my decision, what's yours? No half-hearted answers this time, Ruruko-chan. Tell me what you want."

"I…" she swallowed hard. "I want to be with you."


	18. Chapter 18

"I see," Asia said.

"Sorry I didn't tell you," Issei said. "Things happened a bit fast."

"I think you're gonna need a bigger bed," she suggested. "Maybe a bigger room in general. With-"

"Asia," he interrupted her. "Are you sure you're okay with all this?"

"I said I wanted you to be happy and I mean it," she said.

"Yeah, but-"

"No more buts, Ise," Asia said. "Besides, what I want is not relevant. We agreed that you'd be the one making the decisions. If this is what you want then I'll do my best to accept it."

He was searching for a reply when the door opened.

"Sorry," Ruruko-chan said. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No, it's fine," Asia-chan said. "Don't worry about it, Nimura-san."

"You might as well call me by my first name, given the situation."

"Right, Ruruko-chan."

"The bathroom is free now."

Asia nodded and left them.

He found himself staring at Ruruko.

"Is something wrong with me?" she asked.

"No, not at all. It's just… I'm not used to this."

She looked down. "Oh, yeah, I understand."

Ruruko had changed into her pajamas. They were white with little bears on them. The top piece was long sleeved and closed up with buttons. He guessed she had bought it when she was still younger because the top buttons couldn't be closed anymore. The highest closed one came just under her chest and that one was under big pressure. Beneath it he spotted a camisole which was needed to cover her breasts. She had removed her clippers and put her hair up in a single braid. Probably to make it easier to sleep.

"Are you sure this is okay?" Ruruko-chan asked. "For me to live here I mean."

"Of course. Don't worry about it. I want to be with you, Ruruko."

"Me too."

Asia returned shortly after.

"Shall we get to sleep then?" she asked.

It took Issei a moment before he could reply. Asia had changed into her sleepwear too, only she had picked her sexy red nightgown. No bra, obviously. It was very distracting.

"We'll have to sleep close together to fit in," Asia continued casually. "But I think we'll manage."

"What are you wearing?" Issei asked.

"What are you talking about, Ise?" She blinked innocently. "I always wear this at night. It can get quite hot you know?"

"I…"

_What?_

_What the hell was up with this?_

"You're right," Ruruko said. She undid the buttons of her top. "I'm totally overdressed."

She threw her shirt over his desk chair and then pulled down her pants.

_Hey, hold on a sec._

He looked at her. She was dressed only in her panties and camisole now. He could see her chest push up the fabric which exposed part of her belly.

It looked like all of Ruruko's clothes were old. As if her breasts had grown to this size overnight and she hadn't gotten new clothes yet.

Ruruko looked at Asia with a hint of a grin on her face. Did she really think she could win that easily?

Asia chewed her lip for a moment. "You're right, I'm overdressed."

She took the edges of her nightgown and pulled it over her head in an arm crossing motion.

Issei could only stare at her with his mouth half open. Asia only wore panties beneath that thing, so now she was standing topless in his room. She didn't even try to hide her breasts because she was so occupied with looking defiantly at Ruruko.

Ruruko bit her lip. With shaking fingers, she took the hem of her camisole.

_Hey, was she really planning to-_

The camisole moved up, stopped momentarily at her chest and then slid over it. She threw it over his desk chair as well.

Both girls were topless now. Ruruko covered her breasts with her hands. He saw her legs were shaking slightly.

Asia was a bit more confident and didn't hide her breasts, but she wasn't completely comfortable either.

The church girl threw a venomous look at Ruruko.

"Fine then," she said. "If we're gonna play it like that."

She hooked her thumbs in her panties.

_Hey, wait, was she going to…_

Asia's lace panties slid down her legs. She stepped out of them and pushed them aside with her foot.

Issei swallowed hard.  _Holy crap_.

Asia looked back at Ruruko. Her expression was still defiant, but a faint blush had crept up on her cheeks now.

Ruruko moved her hands to her panties as well. Her fingers were shaking.

 _She wasn't going to do it_ , Issei realised. Her hands kept shaking and her expression was forced. She had never undressed like that in front of anyone, let alone him and Asia.

Asia seemed to realise her struggle as well. A satisfied expression showed on her face, although she tried to hide it.

"That's enough," Issei said.

Ruruko looked up. Issei was suddenly in front of her. She moved her hands back up to cover her breasts.

"You don't have to force yourself," he told her.

"No, no," she shook her head. "If I really love you then I should be able to do this."

"You don't have to prove anything," he assured her.

"Asia could do it," she argued. "She… she loves you more than me." Ruruko looked down. "I'm not good enough for you."

"Come here." Issei pulled her into a hug.

"Asia is clearly better than me," Ruruko kept going. Her hands stayed on her breasts.

"No she's not," Issei said.

Asia was shocked. "Ise-kun. How can you say that?"

"None of you are better," he said. "Asia's not better because she's wearing less clothes. This is not a competition. You can wear whatever you want, Ruruko-chan. Don't worry about what Asia-chan is wearing. I'll still love both of you."

"But," Ruruko said. "Asia can get naked for you. If I can't do that, then how-"

"You can," he said. "Just not today. Don't force yourself. I'm sure you'll be able to do the same eventually. Take your time."

"I…" she removed her hands from her breasts and wrapped them around Issei. He felt her naked breasts pushing against him. "Thanks, Ise-senpai."

They held each other for a long time. Eventually, she released him.

He looked at Asia, who had put on her panties again.

Asia cast her eyes down. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have turned this into a competition. I guess I was a little jealous of you."  
"It's okay," Ruruko said. "I'm jealous of you too."  
"But, how can you be jealous?" Asia asked. "You're much better looking than me." Her eyes darted to Ruruko's chest for a second.

Ruruko looked away. "My chest is much smaller," she mumbled. Her hands went back to hiding her boobs.

"What? What are you talking about?" Asia argued. "You're clearly much bigger than me."

"No I'm not," Ruruko said. She turned to Issei. "Tell her, Senpai."

"I…"

What?

If there was a difference at all, it had to be quite small. He had only caught a few glimpses of Ruruko's naked chest and he had never touched it directly, so it wasn't easy to say. With Asia and say Rias-senpai or Akeno-san the difference was quite obvious, but he had never compared Asia to Ruruko.

"I don't think there's a difference," he said. This sounded like a dangerous question.

"There has to be," Ruruko argued. "They can't be  _exactly_  the same size."

She removed her hands so he could look at them better.

"Tell us which one is bigger, Ise-kun," Asia added. She stood next to Ruruko.

"I thought we agreed this wasn't a competition?" Issei asked.

She was taken back by that for a moment. "Even so, I want to know."

"Me too," Ruruko said.

He looked at Ruruko. She had an equally determined look in her eyes.

Issei sighed inwardly. "You'll accept the result?" he asked. "No matter what."

They both nodded firmly.

"And I don't want to see any teasing about it," he added. "It doesn't matter to me, I love both of you. Neither of you should feel undesired because your chest is a little bit smaller."

"But you like your breasts bigger," Asia argued.

"Yes. And yet both of you are standing here and not Rias-senpai or Akeno-san. You think I like both of you for the size of your chests alone? You think I would like the two of you more if your chests were bigger?"

"You would," Ruruko said. "If both of us had the chest of Rias-sama, you would love us more."  
"It's not possible to love the two of you more than I already do."

Both of them blushed at that.

He complimented himself for his nice save.

"I uhm," Ruruko said. "I promise I won't get mad or jealous or arrogant or anything no matter what the result it. But could you please tell us? I just have to know."

"Well, what's your bra size?" he asked. "We should know then, right?"

"No, it's…" Ruruko looked down. "I don't…"

"You're wearing the wrong bra size? That's not okay, Ruruko-chan."

"I know I need new clothes," she said. "My body is changing, but… my dad won't let me buy bras."

"Your  _dad_? Why?"

"Cause he wanted a son, not a daughter," she said. "I don't have any bras, Ise-senpai. My dad won't let me wear them."

Wow.

Where did all this suddenly come from? Why had she never told him this?

"Did Sona-senpai just let this happen?" he asked.

"She offered to let me stay somewhere else, but I just couldn't. I didn't feel safe. I… I felt lonely and homesick."

So that was why her clothes all looked a bit too small? And why she had agreed so easily to living here.

"But," he insisted. "This doesn't make any sense. What do you do during PE?"

It couldn't be true. She had to be joking.

"I keep on that little camisole you just saw."

"And what about your hair?" He kept trying. "Does he just let you wear it like that?" If he wanted a boy like she said, then-

She looked at him with a hard look in her eyes. "Not in the past no. He cut it short himself. But then I became a devil and I uhm… I kinda broke his arm."

"You did  _what_?" She was joking, right?

"It was an accident," Ruruko said. "He wanted to cut my hair short, we fought and things got out of hand a bit. He doesn't touch me anymore since that day. He's scared I think. But they still decide when I come home and how I spend my money. So, no new clothes or anything. I keep my girl's uniform at school and use magic to change once I'm out of my street."

Holy crap. He let her wear a boy's uniform? How could she live like that?

"That day at the arcade," Issei asked. "It wasn't just that Sona-senpai told you not to draw attention to yourself, was it?"

"I wasn't supposed to be there," she admitted. "I ran away from home that day and if I got into a fight someone might intervene and call my parents."

"But you did go home after that?"

"Saji-senpai went with me."

So that was why she liked Saji-kun?

"Are you sure you're okay being here?" he asked.

She nodded. "Kaichou offered to hypnotise my parents so they'd be okay with me living somewhere else. I declined her, but she insisted the offer stayed permanently should I ever change my mind. I didn't think that would ever happen, but now it did. I've made my decision. If you're okay with it, I'll live here. I want to be with you forever."

She sounded very certain of herself.

"I'm sorry, Ruruko-chan," he said. "I never knew."

"I never told you either," she said. "You have made no mistake, Ise-senpai. Quite the contrary. By not knowing you could always make me think about other things. More pleasant things."

"Even so, I could have done the same thing if I had known."

"But now I know that you are with me because you love me and not out of pity. Like Saji-senpai."

"I… I don't think Saji-kun pitties you, Ruruko. You're a strong girl who just happens to be in a tough situation. I'm sure he-"

"I really don't want to talk about that right now," she said.

"Do you promise to talk with Saji-kun and your parents later?"

"If you come with me."

"Fine."

It was silent for a moment.

"So uhm," Ruruko fidgeted. "Back to my initial question. Which one of us has the biggest chest?"

"This is not going to make you feel any better," Asia said. "This was a stupid idea. Just forget it, Ise-kun."

"No," Ruruko-chan said. "Please, Ise."

"Why do you want to know so badly?" Would she feel more like a girl if he told her her chest was bigger than Asia? But what if it wasn't? Should he lie to her?

"I… do I need a reason, senpai? I'm just making a request, if you loved me, you wouldn't ask so many questions and just do it."

"Don't do that," he said. His voice got hard. "If you loved me you wouldn't be trying to guilt trip me into agreeing to every request you have."

"I… I'm sorry. I just…I can't tell you why I want this. Only that I really want it."

"Then just say that."

"But that's not a good reason," she argued.

"It's an honest reason, that's what matters."

"You wouldn't accept my request based upon such a stupid reason."

"You really believe that?"

"You don't have any faith in him do you?" Asia said, sudden anger in her voice.

"I'm not a church girl," Ruruko bounced back. "Faith is stupid."

"What did you say?"

"That's enough," Issei commanded. "Both of you."

They both looked down and shut up.

"You can't force her to have faith in me, Asia," he said calmly. "Give her time."

"I'm sorry," Asia said. She kept looking down. "I'll try better."

"And you should be more honest," he said to Ruruko. "Then Asia wouldn't have gotten mad at you."

"I… you're right. I'm sorry."

Both of them kept looking down as if they were awaiting further instructions.

Was this really alright?

He was basically chastising them right now. Both of them had yielded under his pressure, but was it really okay to force them like that?

Then again, the result was quite good. If he had not done this, there would have been a fight which could have ended badly. This result was clearly much better. That is, unless both of them were still hiding some frustration and they just apologized to please him. Then he might have stoked the fires for a fight that would happen in the future. If he let them wait longer and get more frustrated, this future fight might be even worse.

Both of them acted quite submissive towards him when he acted dominant, and he couldn't deny he quite enjoyed this. But would this really lead to the best outcome? Was this really okay?

Why did this have to be so hard?

"I…"

"Don't apologize please," Asia-chan said, she was still looking down. "It's good that you made me realise my mistake and apologize. I really meant it and I don't want you to feel guilty for forcing me. I already told you this is what I want. If you hadn't done this I would have said things to Ruruko-chan I would have regretted later."

"Okay then. Ruruko? Do you feel the same way?"

"I agree with her, Ise-senpai. I think it has become pretty clear that both of us are jealous. You'll have to take charge or this won't end well. If we're doing something that is harming the other, you have to stop us, even if we are doing it unconsciously. Don't just accept it."

"But… what do I do if either of you doesn't yield?" he spoke his doubts. For now, both of them had listened to him, but what if they hadn't?

The girls shared a look.

"If either of us defies you," Asia said. "You'll have to punish that girl."

"What? I can't do that."  
"You can," Ruruko said. "When someone in our peerage misbehave, Kaichou punishes him. That's a responsibility you'll have to accept."

"And what if I don't want that?" he asked.

They were both quiet for a moment.

"Then I don't want to be your girlfriend anymore," Asia said.

"What?"

"Me neither," Ruruko added. "I could never live with myself if I hurt Asia-chan. There's no way you can stop me from being jealous unless you force me. I'll keep hurting her whether I want to or not and I might not even realise until one day, it's too late. I don't want that day to ever come. If that is our future, I'd prefer to leave here now."

"I feel the same way," Asia said.

He swallowed hard.

He did understand where their arguments were coming from, but the solution they proposed was kind of extreme.

"I don't want to hurt either of you," he said. "But… I understand. If it's really necessary, I'll do it." He would just have to hope this never happened.

"Thanks, Ise-senpai," Ruruko said. "I know we're not making it easy for you."

He nodded firmly.

"I want to find the reason behind Ruruko's request," Issei said.

Ruruko's eyes widened for a second. Then, she nodded. "Thanks, senpai."

"As you wish," Asia said.

"I can't see it like this though," he said.

The girls looked at each other. After some hesitation they both folded their hands on their back. Their positions were the same now.

"Move a bit closer together," he said.

Ruruko shifted closer to Asia.

He studied their breasts intently.

How had he even gotten into this situation? Not that he was complaining, but still.

Ruruko had the reverse from Asia. Her left breast was a little bit bigger than the right one.

But if there was a difference between the two of them, it was too small to tell. One moment, Ruruko's seemed bigger, but then he noticed it was because she had breathed in, or shifted her position a tiny bit. And the next moment, the reverse happened.

There was a nervous silence as he stared at them.

Should he tell Ruruko hers were bigger? It would make her feel better, but he would have to lie to her. And it would make Asia feel bad.

Besides, both of them could look down so they must have already concluded their sizes were the same.

"They are the same," Issei said.

"That can't be," Ruruko said.

"I'm telling you, I don't see a difference."

"You should touch them," she suggested. "Just to be certain."

She asked it very smoothly. As if she had been waiting for it.

Hey, wait a minute.

Maybe she didn't care about who had the biggest chest at all, but she just wanted an excuse for him to touch her breasts.

She was just curious.

How did he miss such a simple thing?

"Are you okay with that, Asia?" he asked.

"My breasts are yours to touch whenever you want, Ise-san," she said.

Issei nodded. It would have been easier if Ruruko had just asked him to touch her chest from the very beginning.

He reached out and touched both of them.

For Ruruko it was the first time he touched her chest, yet after her initial surprise, her reaction was basically the same as Asia.

There was a difference after all. Ruruko was slightly softer, but Asia had a slightly bigger elasticity. In size however, they were the same.

"And?" Asia asked.

"They are the same size, like I already told you," Issei said.

"Then I guess we'll just have to accept that result," Ruruko said.

He tried lowering his hands, but both of them grabbed his wrist.

"Sorry," Asia said. "I just wanted you to touch me some more."

"Me too," Ruruko said.

While he did want to continue this…

"We should get to sleep," Issei said. "Rias-senpai will be here early for my training."

"Right," Asia said. "Sorry."

"We'll have plenty of opportunities later," he assured them. "I'm not going anywhere."

They smiled faintly.

"Right, let's get to sleep," Asia said.

Like he had already guessed they had to lie really close together to fit into his single-person bed.

Issei was in the middle on his back. Ruruko was on his left, Asia on his right. He had to be careful not to shift too much or he would push one of them out.

In order to fit in, both of them had to lie really close. He could feel their breasts pushing against his arms and chest (both girls were still topless).

He put his hands on their lower backs. Partly to stop them from falling out if necessary, but also for slightly less noble reasons.

"Good night," he said. He was really tired. It had been a rough day.

He heard a whispered discussion.

"You can go first," Ruruko said.

"No, I've been here longer, you should go first," Asia insisted.

He opened his eyes again. "What's wrong?"

"We wanted to give you a goodnight kiss," Ruruko explained.

"Oh." Well they couldn't go simultaneously, could they?

"Who do you want first?" Asia asked.

"You can go first, Ruruko," he said. It was only fair since he had kissed Asia plenty of times already.

"As you wish." Asia moved aside to give room for Ruruko.

Ruruko hesitantly leaned in to kiss him. It was only their second kiss after all.

They kissed softly.

After a moment, Ruruko broke off the kiss.

"I'm glad I'm here," she said.

"I'm glad you're here too."

"Okay," she looked at Asia. "He's all yours, Asia-chan." She moved aside.

Asia either wasn't bothered that he had just kissed Ruruko or she hid it well.

The church girl leaned in confidently to kiss him.

After a moment, her tongue traced his lip, indicating she wanted more than just a little kiss. They progressed to tongue kissing.

Eventually, he broke off the kiss. It was a much longer and more passionate kiss than with Ruruko.

Asia was blushing a bit. "That was good," she said.

"Yeah."

"No fair, Ise-senpai," Ruruko complained. "I saw you tongue-kiss Asia."

"Yes, but we never…"

"No fair," she insisted.

"Alright, alright, come here."

He kissed Ruruko again. Issei softly pushed his tongue past her lips. After a moment hesitation, her tongue started playing with his.

When they broke off the kiss, her face had turned pink.

"Wow," she commented.

Asia chuckled.

"Is she better than me?" she asked him.

"No comment," he quickly said.

"Right, maybe that's for the best."

"Indeed," Ruruko said. "You'd lose anyway."  
"Oh really? Just because I'm a church girl does not mean-"

Issei put his head down. "Good night, girls."

Their playful argument stopped.

Both of them put their heads back on his chest.

"Good night, Ise-san."

"Good night, Ise-senpai."


	19. Chapter 19

[Wake up, Master. Wake-]

Issei blindly reached out until he found the button to shut off the alarm.

"Way too early," he mumbled.

"Morning, Ise-senpai," a cheerful Ruruko said. She kissed him awake softly.

He tasted toothpaste.

How…

"When did you get up?" he asked.

"Devils don't need much sleep," she replied.

"I'm still tired." Although now that she mentioned it, his recovery rate had increased a lot. And he was not  _that_  tired given the lack of rest lately.

"Maybe your body hasn't changed enough yet. You haven't been resurrected for that long," she reminded him.

"Right." It felt very long, but it really wasn't.  
"Morning already?" A second voice asked.

"You can go back to sleep, Asia-chan," he said.

"I need to make you breakfast," she mumbled, still half-sleeping.

"Shh," he stroked her hair. "Go back to sleep, Asia-chan."

"Hm."

She put her head down and fell back asleep.

He briefly considered going back to sleep as well, but then decided against it.

Rias-senpai would be here soon.

"I suppose I'll take over her task then," Ruruko said. She put on her camisole.

"You don't have to-"

"It's not optional, Senpai."

He smiled. "You're learning quickly."

She smiled back.

They went downstairs. His parents were still sleeping.

Rias-senpai arrived a bit later.

"You're early," he noted.

She shrugged.

"You want breakfast too, Rias-sama?" Ruruko asked.

"Sure." She sat down next to Issei. "Are you living here too now?"

"Sort off," Ruruko admitted. She handed Rias-senpai a plate.

"I think you'll have to hypnotise my parents again," Issei said.

"Sure." Buchou started eating. "Just a question, how do all of you fit in that one person bed?"

"That's why I only date small girls," Issei joked. He didn't ask how she knew they all slept together.

Rias-senpai didn't respond. She was staring out in front of her, seemingly lost in thoughts.

"Did you find anything yesterday?" Issei brought her back.

She looked up.

"Oh, yeah. Those two men Nimura-san took out vanished," she said. "The other two were dead, so nothing there."

"Fallen angels?"

"Yep. Once again, no one recognised them."

"Damn." They really had nothing on them.

"We did retrieve this."

She took something out of her pocket and handed it to him.

It was his phone. As he had expected, it was broken beyond repair. He would have to go buy a new one.

"Sorry," Rias-senpai said.

"It's not your fault."

"No, it is, I-"

They heard noises on the stairs.

His parents were awake it seemed.

Rias-senpai hypnotised them once again. They were perfectly okay letting Ruruko-chan stay with him. For some reason, they agreed to train her as a housewife too. Ruruko seemed very satisfied at that suggestion.

He wondered whether they actually needed hypnosis for this since his parents were pretty dense without it already.

They finished their breakfast.

"I'll go get changed," Issei said.

He went back upstairs. Asia was still sleeping.

He changed into his training uniform without waking her.

When he came downstairs, he found Rias-senpai waiting for him, along with Ruruko in her PE-uniform. She had put her hair back in the characteristic twin tails with clippers.

"I'm coming with you," she said. "I need to train too."

"Okay." He crouched down to put on his running shoes.

They went outside. The sun was just getting up.

Rias-senpai put her hair in a single ponytail to run.

When she made a ponytail, you knew things were getting serious.

"Let's go," she said.

They started running.

Both girls were really fast. Any idle hope he had that Ruruko might be slower than him quickly vanished.

It wasn't long before he lagged behind them.

Seriously, how did this happen?

Ruruko-chan was just a single Pawn and while Rias-senpai was a King, her large chest should make it really hard to run fast.

After what felt like a marathon, they rested on the playground for a bit. 'Rested' meaning Issei collapsed on the bench while Buchou casually untied her hair and Ruruko stretched a bit.

"I'm surprised you can keep up," Rias-senpai said. "I hardly held back."

He was too busy catching his breath to reply. Their speed had been comparable to that of Olympic athletes on the eight-hundred metres, only they had kept it up for several kilometers.

"Just a heads up," Ruruko said. "Devils aren't allowed to compete in the Olympics."

"Wasn't planning to," he said.

"Now then," Buchou said. "Onto the rest of the training?"

"Give me a minute," he said between labored breaths.

"Ye, Issei. I already gave you an hour extra sleep."

"I was kinda busy last night."

"With your two girlfriends?"

He didn't reply.

Issei stood up and walked to the bar. He jumped up to take it.

Next to him, Ruruko tried to do the same, but she couldn't reach it.

"Hold on." He released the bar and stood behind Ruruko.

"Senpai?"

He placed his hands on her waist and easily lifted her upwards.

"Whoa." She had clearly not expected this since she almost fell on top of him. However, she managed to keep her balance.

"You might want to grab it," he said dryly.

"Oh, of course, sorry." She reached out to grab the bar.

If Rias-senpai wasn't staring at them, he might have taken this opportunity to touch her in some other places too.

But Rias-senpai was already looking vaguely amused so he decided against it.

He released Ruruko and jumped up to hang next to her on the bar.

"Ready?" he asked.

A faint blush was on her face. "Ready when you are," she said.

Together, they did pull-ups.

At the start, he was actually faster than her. But his arms grew tired after three pull-ups. He slowed down while Ruruko kept up her initial speed.

He was actually stronger than her. It was his stamina that couldn't keep up.

"Keep up the pace, Issei," Rias-senpai said.

"Easy for you to say." He pulled himself up again with supreme effort.

Eventually, she ended their training. Ruruko had beaten him on all parts. Not that he minded that.

"Can I ask you something, Senpai?" Issei said.

"Sure."

"Can I have a weapon? You never know when we get attacked again, I have to be ready this time."

"I understand that," Buchou said. "But it won't make a difference. If you had a light gun with you back there, you would have lost as well."

"You can't know that."

"I can. Light bullets are hardly effective against Fallen Angels. If you had a light gun with you, you would have foolishly charged forward and depleted your powers."

"I-"

"You're not in a position to fight, Ise. Flee and leave the fighting to us. You don't have to do this all by yourself."

"Well, you weren't there, were you?" He was starting to get angry.

"If you had stayed hidden longer, we would have broken through," Buchou said calmly.

"They would have killed Saji if you did."

"No they wouldn't. They didn't even  _have_  Saji-kun. He stalled for a moment to give his comrades time to hide, understood his odds and then fled and waited for help. If you hadn't foolishly gone out to find him, he could have stayed hidden."

"But-"

"You didn't even call him, did you? It was indeed your fault, Ise. But not because you didn't have a weapon with you. Because you wanted to be a hero so badly." She threw a glance at Ruruko. "Is this the outcome you hoped for?"

"Don't talk to him like that," Ruruko interjected. "You may be his Master, but I won't let you treat him like that. Ise-senpai did everything he could."

Rias-senpai turned back to Issei. "I expect you tomorrow at five for your training.  _Alone_  this time."

Ruruko opened her mouth, but Issei put his hand on her shoulder.

"She's my Master. It's up to her to decide when I train."

"But… how can you just accept she enslaved you?"

"I don't have a choice. It's this or being a stray."

"It's not fair," she said. She turned back to Rias-senpai. "Trade him with Saji-senpai."

"Ruruko." Wasn't that a bit extreme?

Rias-senpai was taken back for a moment. "I can't," she said.

"You're just-"

" _I can't_ ," Buchou cut her off. "Issei's piece can't be traded. It has no equivalent. Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." She waved her hand to create a magic circle.

Buchou stood in it. "Akeno expects you tonight for your training," she said coldly. "Don't be late."

The circle flashed and she was gone.

It was silent for a moment.

"Was she serious?" Ruruko asked. "About your piece."

"I'm afraid so. It seems like my piece is a Mutation Piece created by eight Pawns that melted together."

"She could be lying."

"That's enough, Ruruko. Rias-senpai wouldn't lie to me."

"If you say so," she said reluctantly. "Still, she was way out of line."

"She did have a point. We could have called Saji-kun."

Had he legitimately not thought of that? Or had he conveniently ignored the possibility?

"But… she can't expect us to think clearly in the heat of the moment."  
"It's not our job to do that. She explicitly told me to stay where I was. But we went to search for Saji anyway."

"But… Saji could have been in danger," Ruruko kept trying.  
"It's not our responsibility. We're Pawns, not Kings. Our Kings judged we were not in a position to save him and if something would have happened to him, it would have been their responsibility. If we had waited, we would have learned there were Holy Sword users inside and that we didn't stand any chance to beat them. And we would have learned Saji wasn't in danger at all. We charged in blindly, if anything, we're lucky we even made it out alive."

It was the other point that really bothered him. As Rias-senpai had painfully accurately pointed out, the outcome was very good for him. They had lost Freed and a Holy Sword, something Buchou would surely be held responsible for, but Ruruko had confessed to him. The whole situation had played heavily in his favor. If they had stayed hidden, odds were a lot lower Ruruko would have done that. It was the danger for their lives that had pushed her over the line.

Was it true? What Buchou had said? Had he deliberately ignored a very obvious tactical choice in the hope of impressing Ruruko? Was he just trying to be a hero? Or had he just overestimated his tactical abilities a bit? Or had he actually just forgotten he could just call Saji in the heat of the moment?

He hoped it was the second one. The victory against Freed could have made him overconfident in his abilities. While it sounded impressive, it really meant nothing. He had been very lucky and Freed was just a normal human. A trained exorcist, true, but nowhere near a Holy Sword user or a fallen angel. To think he could charge blindly into battle and win every time was a dangerous arrogance.

"We should wake up Asia-chan, or we'll be late for school," Ruruko brought him back.

"Right. Of course."

They walked back to his house.

There was an uncomfortable silence on the way there.

"You're quiet," Ruruko broke the silence.

"Hm." Buchou's words still bothered him.

"She shouldn't have said those things," Ruruko said.

"We need to hurry up," Issei said. "Or we'll be late for school."

They reached his house.

"You've been sweating quite a lot," Ruruko pointed out.

"Yeah." He checked his watch. "I should probably take a quick shower first."

"I need to shower too," she said.

"I'll hurry up," he promised her.

"I know a way we can save both water and time," she said.

He felt his ears burning.

"Water is a very precious resource," Ruruko added. "We shouldn't waste it on two seperate showers."

"Yeah, you're totally right."

What was she getting at?

Ruruko went inside with a little smile on her face.

They removed their shoes and went up to the bathroom.

He closed the door behind him.

Ruruko smoothly pulled off her PE-shirt and camisole at the same time.

He swallowed hard. She was a lot more confident than yesterday, although she still kept her back turned on him to hide her chest a bit. Her hands went to remove the clippers in her hair.

"I'll take you to buy new clothes," Issei said. "You can't keep walking around without a bra."

"You don't like it?" she asked.

"Uhm."

"I thought you might like the easy access," Ruruko said.

Her seductiveness was on a whole different level today.

Maybe it was the conversation with Rias-senpai that had pushed her to kick it up a gear.

"You should have clothes that fit," he said. "And I'm not always with you. What do you do when you're in class?"

"Right. I like that idea, Ise-senpai. Thanks."

"It's nothing."

"You should probably get undressed too."

"Right, of course." He unzipped his jersey.

Ruruko removed her bloomers. Now she only had her black panties on.

He stepped out of his trousers.

Both were in their underwear now, although she didn't have a bra on of course.

"So uhm…" Ruruko said. Her fingers played with the edges of her panties.

"Shall I go first?" Issei offered.

She nodded.

He took a deep breath and pulled down his boxers.

She stared at him.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. "It's kinda embarrassing if you stare like that."

"Well, you're uhm…  _responding_ to the situation."

"Well of course I am. There's a topless girl in front of me."

"Yes, of course, I just…" she blushed heavily. "Never mind. I should get undressed too."

She once again hooked her thumbs in her panties but she did not take them off.

"Shall I turn around?" he offered.

"No, no. Could you…" she blushed even more and avoided his eyes. "Take them off for me?"

"Huh?"

"I can't do it, Ise-senpai. I'm too scared. But if you did it…"

"But-"

"Please." She met his eyes.

He nodded. "Okay."

Issei approached her.

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."  
He crouched down and hooked his thumbs in her panties.

Unsure of where to put her hands, she hid her chest with them.

Issei pulled down her panties.

He tried not to look at her, but this proved to be impossible.

She stepped out of them.

"Does it look weird?" she asked. Her voice was trembling.

"Of course not."

"But…"

"You're really self conscious about your body, aren't you?" he asked.

"The symmetry is a bit-"

"Nothing about you is weird, Ruruko-chan" Issei said as he stood up again.

She suddenly embraced him. "Thanks, Ise-senpai."

"Come on, let's get in the shower."

"Right." She released him and turned on the tap.

The water was icy cold at first.

"Your shower is not really big enough for two people," Ruruko noted. She looked at the showerhead.

"We'll have to stand really close together then."

She smiled faintly.

Ruruko held out her hand to test the water. It was warm apparently, because she moved to stand under it.

She closed her eyes as she enjoyed the warmth. He took the opportunity to check out her boobs.

It was indeed not big enough for both of them. The shower that is, not her breasts.

She opened her eyes again.

"Oh, sorry," she said. She moved back so he could stand under the water as well.

They would have to take turns a bit since the water could not cover both their bodies completely.

"Say, Ise-senpai. Do you want to wash me?"

"Sure."

She handed him the shower gel. Issei put some on his hands.

He started at her lower back and then moved to her belly. From there, he worked his way up.

…

"You're spending a lot of time there, aren't you?" she noted.

"Well, they are pretty big."

"You're so mean."

He moved his hands away from her breasts to her arms.

"My turn," she said when he was done.

"Okay." He handed her the shower gel and turned around. He moved a bit forward so she could stand under the falling water.

She started in reverse with his arms, and then downwards from his chest and back.

All too soon, she reached his belly button.

"I think I can take it from here," he said.

"Scared?" she whispered into his ear.

She wasn't actually going to move further down, was she?

He steeled his voice.

"Go ahead. Unless  _you're_  scared."

The door opened.

"No fair Ise-kun."

"Asia?"

"You're leaving me out," she complained.  
"Sorry. You looked so cute when you were asleep."

"I want to shower with you too."

She embraced him.

"Hey, you'll get…"

Wet.

She was still wearing panties which had gotten soaking wet when she embraced him in the shower.

Asia released him and looked down, as if she only realised it now.

She hesitated for a moment and then took off her panties and threw them out of the shower.

"I'm gonna shower with you too," she announced as she embraced him again.

"This shower is clearly not designed for three people," Issei said weakly as Ruruko hugged him from behind.

"We don't care," Ruruko said.

"Yeah," Asia said. She placed his hands on her chest. "You need to wash me too."

"Hey," Ruruko said. "I was-"

"Ruruko," Issei interrupted her.

She sighed. "I get it. It's her turn now." She handed him the shower gel.

"No, no," Asia said. "You weren't finished with Ruruko-chan yet. Sorry for interrupting."  
"No, really, he was-"

"Are the three of you done?" His mother's voice asked from outside the door. "You'll be late for school."

"We cannot catch a break, can we?" Ruruko said.

"Apparently not," Issei sighed.

Couldn't they just skip school and continue this?

Bad idea probably.

He turned off the tap.

"It's always something," he mumbled.

"Don't worry, Ise-kun," Asia said. "We're not going anywhere."

They dried themselves off and put on their uniforms. The girls used magic to dry their long hair.

They had to walk to school since he only had one bike and he couldn't put two girls on it. He could try, but it didn't sound like a good idea.

They arrived on time, somehow.

"Traitor," a voice said.

He turned around. "Oh, Matsuda, Motohama. How are you?"

"Since when do you arrive with two gorgeous girls, Ise?" Motohama asked, his eyes narrowed behind the glasses.

"We just happened to arrive at the same time," Issei evaded.

"Ye, Ise-kun," Asia said as she took his hand. "You might as well tell your friends the truth."

"Yeah," Ruruko said. She took his other hand. "Tell them, Ise-senpai."

"Uhm, these are my girlfriends," Issei said.

He saw their eyes widen.

"Where is that plural coming from?" Motohama asked. "You can't have  _two_  girlfriends."

"Why not?" he asked casually.

"Besides," Ruruko said. "We're his  _slave_ girlfriends. He can have as many girls as he likes." She pressed her body against him. "Isn't that right, Ise-sama?"

"His…" Motohama was at a loss for words.

Issei tried to keep a straight face. Ruruko was stretching the truth a bit. Although what she said was not entirely untrue, it implied he was doing all kinds of sexy stuff with them every night when in reality he was still a virgin. Not for lack of trying though.

"What kind of drugs did you give them?" Matsuda demanded.

"You can't handle that I'm popular?" he shot back. Wasn't this a bit cruel to them?

"This must be a nightmare," Matsuda said.

"I have to go. Good luck in class, Ise-sama," Ruruko said. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. Her tongue pushed passed his lips.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Motohama and Matsuda look completely shocked.

A deviant idea formed itself in his head.

While they were tongue-kissing, Issei moved his hand up to touch Ruruko's breast. He softly fondled it. Since she wasn't wearing a bra, there was little in the way of his touch. Ruruko did not resist him, in fact, she kissed him even more passionate.

His friends eyes widened so far he was concerned they would fall out for a moment.

Eventually they broke off the kiss. Both were a bit out of breath.

"Can't wait until tonight, can you?" Ruruko teased him. She stole another quick kiss.

"Obviously."

"See you tonight," she said. She gave him one more kiss and then walked away to the school building. He stared at her as she walked away.

"I still have to hand in a report," Asia-chan said. "I'll see you in class." She gave him a quick kiss on his lips and walked away.

Somehow, Ruruko had grown more confident than Asia.

Maybe Ruruko had a desire to prove her love for him.

After all, she had initially 'rejected' him claiming it was too dangerous to be together (a valid point actually). She had only changed her mind after the events at the mall, and Rias-senpai's words had heavily implied she had only done this due to her life being in danger. But her doubt that he might die in a fight could come back at any time. So maybe she was trying to push that thought away by acting like this.

Either that, or she was trying to turn things into a competition again and prove that she loved him more than Asia. She must have known Asia would be too scared to kiss him like that in public. So she might have tried to score some points there.

Or maybe the answer was really simple. Maybe this was her real personality and now that no one repressed her anymore, it came into focus.

In any case, he would have to ask her about it later to know for sure.

"We should get to class," Issei said.

"Hold on a sec," Matsuda said. "What the fuck just happened?"

"Yeah, explain yourself, Ise," Motohama added.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I just introduced you to my girlfriends, it's no big deal."

"Your ego has grown from here to Tokyo," Matsuda said.

"That saying would make more sense if we weren't actually in Japan," Issei said. "Besides-"

The school bell interrupted their conversation.

They all cursed and ran to class.

He resolved himself to make up with Matsuda and Motohama later. This display was a bit cruel to them.

Perhaps he could give them his porn stash. It was unlikely he would need it anymore with Asia and Ruruko near him.

Or was that taking things a bit too far?

Yeah, definitely too much. He couldn't give away his porn, no matter what happened.

It wasn't long before wild stories started going around the class. At first he had two girlfriends, but that number had grown to ten by lunch break. If the rumours were to be believed, he had relationships with several teachers as well, both male and female.

But it had very little effect on him. Everyone whispered things, but because the stories had been exaggerated so much, no one believed them anymore. Hyoudou-kun? The pervert that always spied on the kendo club? He couldn't even get  _one_ girlfriend, let alone multiple. It was probably just a joke.

After school, he walked to the club room.

Akeno-san was waiting for him, along with the two church warriors.

"Buchou is busy," the Queen explained. "I'll brief her later."

Hm. he was started to suspect she was avoiding him on purpose.

"We're here to fulfill our promise," Xenovia said. "Nothing more."

Even though she said that, he saw that both of them were drinking tea. Xenovia looked sceptic whenever she drank, as if she was testing for poison.

He sat down opposite of them. Akeno-san came to sit next to him.

"As I said yesterday," Irina said. "Three swords were stolen from the church. Rapidly, Nightmare and Transparency."

"Right, but what do they do?" Issei asked.

Irina sipped her tea. "Rapidly is the golden one. As the name kind of implies, it grants the wielder super speed."

"That's the one carried by their leader, Michael," Issei said.

Everyone recoiled at that.

"What?" he asked.

" _Michael_  is also the name of the Archangel," Akeno-san explained.

"Archangel?" Issei asked.

"Highest of the ten Seraphim. The ones who guard the Throne of Heaven. He's basically God's second in command. His right hand man so to speak."

"Blasphemy," Irina said. "To take the name of the Archangel himself."

"Calm down, Irina," Xenovia said. "We'll have our revenge soon enough."

"Right," she regained her composure. "So, the second one is Excalibur Nightmare. It grants its wielder the ability to create illusions."

He didn't like the sound of that. Speed, sure, but how would they deal with illusions? Things were getting worse the more she spoke. The more he heard, the more concerned he became.

"Lastly," Xenovia said. "There is Transparency. It has the ability to turn invisible. Both the sword and its wielder."

Oh fuck. How were they supposed to deal with that?

"While it does render you invisible, it doesn't hide sounds," Irina said as if reading his concern. "So it's not completely invincible. It's also weak to large range attacks like the ones from Excalibur Destruction."

Right, that did make sense. Invisibility was strong as long as no one managed to land an actual hit on you since that would give away your position immediately.

"That's all we know," Xenovia said.

"You have no clue who stole them?" Akeno-san asked.

Xenovia shrugged. "A powerful person to steal three separate pieces. Someone with internal info."

"We suspect Valper Galilei is involved," Irina said. "He lead the Holy Sword Project so he knows exactly where they are kept and how they are defended."

"That's just conjecture. We told you all we  _know_ ," Xenovia said. "Come, Irina. We have work to do."

Clever girl. They had promised to say everything they knew, but suspecting something and knowing for sure was not the same thing. So technically they could still hide many things by stating it weren't solid facts but rather suspicions.

The church warriors left the clubroom.

"Are you sure that's all they know?" Akeno-san asked.  
Issei shrugged. "Does it matter? Not like we can force them to tell us. They are church agents, an attack on them could provoke Heaven. And they are already pretty desperate."

"How so?"

"What kind of moron sends two pieces of Excalibur to retrieve three others? It's clear that Valper wants all the pieces. They just handed him Mimic on a silver platter."

"Maybe it was all they had available?"

"Exactly. So they have already been driven into a corner. There's no telling how they'll respond to a direct attack now. Besides, our interests aline here. Excalibur is useless in our hands, we're devils."

"But the devil side would love to get a dangerous weapon like that out of sight. It's a devil weakness."

"Sure, but we can't  _use_  it against anyone. Whatever Valper is planning, he wants to use those weapons for something. So whatever happens, we getting our hands on them is a better outcome for Heaven compared to the alternative of letting Valper keep them."

"Right, makes sense," she said.

Akeno-san stood up and summoned a magic circle. "Shall we?"

He stood next to her in the circle. They were close together. Much closer than was necessary.

The circle activated. His vision blurred and then became sharp again. He was used to this sensation by now.

They had arrived in the exact same place in the clubroom, only this was their private dimension.

"Let's go then." They walked outside.

He had to reach the principal's office before he could Promote since that was designated as 'enemy territory'.

"Is Rias angry at you?" Akeno asked as they walked the hallway. "I feel like she's avoiding you on purpose."

"I think so. I ignored her orders back at the mall. It's my fault Freed escaped."

"Did she spank you?"

"What?" He stopped walking.

"Ara, ara, Ise-kun. You didn't know?" Her tone changed.

"Know what?"

"It's pretty common for a King to discipline her servants. Especially when they misbehave."

"Well, she didn't do any of that." There was a strange fascination in Akeno-san's tone. "Did she ever spank you?"

"Unfortunately no," Akeno-san said.

_Unfortunately?_

"I think she was afraid I might enjoy it too much," Akeno-san admitted.

"I thought you were a sadist?"

"Maybe I'm a sadist to hide that deep down I really want a strong Master to put me in my proper place," she said. "Someone who  _makes_  me submit."

He swallowed hard.

"But… why didn't Buchou punish me then?" he asked.

For a moment he thought he saw a flash of disappointment in her eyes.

"Maybe she's afraid of you," she suggested.

"Of me?"

"Your growth is fast," she noted. Her hands touched his upper arm. "Really fast."

"I guess."

"And I heard," Akeno-san added. Even more seduction crept into her tone. "You already seduced  _two_  girls."

"I… maybe."

"Maybe even more than that." Her hands moved to his chest. "Say Ise-kun. Do you have any other secret mistresses?"

"That," he swallowed hard. "I don't keep secrets from Asia or Ruruko. If I like another girl I'll simply tell them."

"And do you?" She moved even closer. "Do you like another girl?"

She was close. Way too close. He could feel her warm breath on his face.

"I uhm…"

"Ye, Ise-kun." Her tone was playful. "I went through all this trouble to make this private space, you could at least answer a simple question for me."

"Uhm, Akeno-san? Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course." She still didn't move away.

"Do you think I… is it okay for me to be with Asia and Ruruko?"

"If both of them are okay with the way things are, I don't see why not." Her fingers danced on his chest.

"But… they aren't really in a position to say otherwise, are they? Where would Asia go without me?"

"I'm sure Rias-"

"Cut the crap please," he said. "Asia is a banished Holy Maiden. Rias-senpai is not the head of her house, there's only so much she can do."

"She will be head in the future."

"After her marriage you mean?"

Akeno-san sighed. She stepped back. "I understand your point. But none of this is your fault. At least she has a home now. Would you prefer if she had stayed with Freed?"

"No."

"You did the best you could. Maybe you wanted her to become a strong independent woman, but it's not gonna happen overnight. Not with her past."

"But I'm not encouraging it, am I?" he kept going. "I'm not encouraging her to make her own choices. I'm encouraging her to stay dependant on me."

"And is that what she wants?"

"I…"

"Why are you making things difficult, Ise-kun? You were the only one who ever helped her."

"But," he insisted. "Were my intentions really so genuine? Why did I help her? Did I help her because I really care about her? Or did I help her because I knew that if I did, she would become so dependant on me that I could ask her anything I want? She would basically become my slave if I asked her. Didn't I just take advantage of the situation?"

What Ruruko had said this morning about his 'slave girlfriends' was only to impress his friends, but wasn't he going out of his way to make that reality? He was clearly taking advantage of their situation to make them dependant on him.

"Just the fact that you're worried about this, already tells you a lot," Akeno-san said. "Maybe the answer isn't as black and white as you think. These two things are not mutually exclusive. On a subconscious level, you want a harem and you want to dominate them. But you're very conscious of that and you do care deeply about what the girls themselves want."

"How do you know that? How do you know I don't fake this caring?"

She smiled. "If you're faking it then why are you still a virgin?"

"I… that is…" she had a pretty good point there. "Wait a minute. How do you know I'm still a virgin?"

"Because you act like one. It's really cute, Ise-kun." She kissed him on his cheek and then turned around to walk on.

"I'm not cute," Issei insisted.

"Yes you are," she said without looking back.

Unbelievable.

He quickly ran after her.

They rounded the gym just like last time.

Akeno-san guided him to the principal's office.

"What should I Promote to?" he asked.

"I guess Bishop makes the most sense in terms of magic."

"Right." He Promoted to Bishop. Two silver rings appeared on his hand.

"Does that always happen when you Promote?" Akeno-san asked.

"Yeah."

"Strange. Do you do it consciously?"

"No. Bishop automatically gives me Asia's power. Knight is Freed and Rook is that man in the park I think. The Twice Critical."

"I wonder. What would happen if you take more powers? Or what would happen if you Promote to Queen?"

"I've been thinking about that as well," he admitted.

"But you can use their power even if you don't Promote," Akeno-san said.

"But I couldn't control it." He remember the disastrous magical training.

"Maybe with more training you'll be able to do it without Promotion. But for now we'll do it like this."

"Alright."  
"I'll get changed then."

"Okay."

Wait… changed?

Akeno waved her hand to change her clothes. Her uniform made way for an entirely different outfit.

The top was one solid black leather piece. The fabric was laced shut tightly to keep it from falling down since it had no shoulder straps. However, it wasn't big enough to cover her completely. A vertical strip of skin was covered only with the laces from her belly upwards across her chest.

She wore simple black panties underneath and black, thigh-high boots.

"What do you think?" Akeno-san asked.

"Uhm." His ability to think had gone away several seconds ago.

"Too much?" Akeno-san asked. "I just thought I'd motivate you a bit, but if it's too much, I'll-"

"No, no. It's fine. Thanks, Akeno-san. That helps a lot."  
She beamed at him.

"Let's begin then, shall we?"

He nodded.

They sat down on the couch. He on one side, and she on the other with the coffee table between them.

"Close your eyes and focus," her voice guided him.

He did as she said.

_Focus, focus._

"Can you feel the waves of energy in your body?" she asked.

"Uhu."

"Which ones do you feel?" There was a hint of concern in her voice.

"Two. Green and red. Asia's powers and mine."

"Good. Let them flow to your hands and create a sphere."

He felt the aura gathering in his hands.

"You're doing really well," she commented. "Open your eyes again."

He looked. Between his hands was a baseball-sized ball of green light. A hint of red danced around on the edges.

"Move it around," Akeno-san encouraged him.

He focused and found he could make the ball float around.

His eyes sneaked a peek at her breasts. She was really big. And the lacing pushed them together which-

"Stay focused Ise-kun," she said.

"Huh? Oh, sorry." The ball had been floating away from his hands.

"Now then." She took out a water bottle. He could not see where she got it from. Clearly her outfit had no pockets.

She put it down on the coffee table between them.

"Try freezing the water," she suggested.

He sent the ball of light to the bottle.

_Freeze. Freeze._

To his surprise, there was a sudden flash and his ball of light melted with the bottle. With a crunching sound, spikes of ice ripped through the plastic container.

"Well done, Ise-kun," Akeno-san said. "You're very talented."

He didn't know how to reply to her praise so he just looked away, embarrassed.

"I should give you some reward," the Queen said. "Something to motivate you."

"You really don't have to," Issei said.

"Don't be ridiculous," she said. "Positive reinforcement is a powerful stimulus to make you work hard."

"Your outfit is also a powerful stimulus," he mumbled to himself.

"Oh, wait, I got it." She walked around the coffee table to sit next to him.

Her fingers fumbled with the laces.

Wait, was she going to…

Her top part opened up. She pulled it open to expose her breasts.

He had a little deja-vu to Ruruko who had shown her breast to him in a very similar manner. Only there were several key differences here. For one, Akeno-san's breasts were almost an order of magnitude bigger and she had a playful expression on her face contrary to Ruruko who had been very embarrassed.

His hand reached out. He didn't remember giving it any orders. But where there are breasts, there is a will to fondle them, those were the laws of nature.

She gently took his wrist. "Not yet, Ise-kun," she said softly. "Maybe later, if you do well."

Wait, what was he doing?

Akeno-san laced up her top again.

"We can't do this," Issei said. "I'm with Asia and Ruruko."

She chuckled. "You're so cute, Ise-kun." Her hand ruffled his hair.

"I…"

What?

"Let's continue our practice," she said, as if nothing had happened. "Try melting the water again."

"Uhm, sure."

He didn't get Akeno-san at all. One moment she acted all seductive and the other she treated him like a puppy.

He spent the rest of his training manipulating water. No more weird things happened, although Akeno-san continued to use suggestive language.

"It's getting late," Akeno-san said. "We'll continue this tomorrow."

"Okay."

"Oh, before I forget, I have these for you." She handed him a stack of cards.

Teleportation circles to travel to this dimension.

"And these," she said. She held up three other cards.

"What are those?" he asked. The symbols were different. The same alphabet, but a different spell. The color of the circle was also different. White/yellow instead of crimson.

"Pre-recorded spells," she said. "They summon lightning."

"How…"

"I heard you last night. I heard you talk about how you were defenseless and you wanted to be armed. So I recorded those for you."

"You can do that?"

"Yes. It's pretty difficult though. Teleportation circles don't have that much energy in them, but attack spells do, so it's harder to get them on a card. Most people don't think it's worth the effort."

Wow.

"You must have worked really hard on them," he said.

She shrugged. "It's no big deal."

"Thanks, Akeno-san."

"If you want to show your gratitude, just call me Akeno."

"But, Akeno-san."

"A-ke-no."

He swallowed hard. "Fine. A-Akeno."

She smiled. "Come on, I'll drop you off at home."

Akeno summoned a magic circle.

They teleported away to the hallway in his house. It was too dangerous to teleport outside. Someone might see.

The door to the living room opened.

"Welcome home, Ise-senpai."

"Ruruko-chan? What are you wearing?"

"What do you mean? Asia-chan told me to wear this. Do I look weird?"

"Ise-kun?" Asia joined them as well. She was dressed in the same clothes. Or rather, lack of clothes.

Akeno eyed the two girls in their naked apron.

"Interesting," she said. "See you tomorrow, Ise-kun."

She teleported away.

"You're gonna make a habit out of this?" he asked.

"Of course," Asia-chan said. "It's only right to wear this. After all, your mom is training both of us to be good housewives."

"Right."

"Dinner will be ready soon," Ruruko said.

"Can we talk for a minute?" he asked as he removed his shoes.

"I'll see if your mom needs any more help," Asia read the situation.

She left them.

"I uhm… you've gotten very seductive lately," he said. "And with 'lately' I mean today."

"You don't like it?" she asked.

"I don't want you to force yourself."

"Don't worry, Ise-senpai. I'm not forcing myself. How did your friends react?"

"Jealous."

She smiled. "Feels good doesn't it?"

"You're a little deviant, aren't you?"

"A little," she admitted. "I've been waiting so long to do all these things."

"Me too actually."

"I never thought I would actually have a boyfriend. And it's not like I could take him home if I had one. But that didn't stop me from thinking about all of the things I wanted to do if I ever had one. And now that it's finally happening, I won't hold back ever again."

He nodded. His concern had been for nothing.

"If you want, I could uhm…" she looked down. "Be your dessert."

She blushed heavily.

The door opened, which broke the spell.

"Dinner is ready," his mom said.

"Coming," Issei said.

Ruruko was really catching him off guard lately.

During dinner, his thoughts drifted back to Rias-senpai during dinner.

It wasn't very clear whether she was angry at him. As he had ignored her orders, she could technically punish him, so why hadn't she done that? According to Akeno that was very common, so what gives?

"By the way," his father said, bringing him back. "I moved your bed to the guest room."

"You did?"

"We put down two mattresses," his mom added. "That should make it easier for the three of you." She said 'three of you' as if it was a perfectly normal situation.

"It's only temporarily," his father said. "Your new bed hasn't arrived yet."

New bed?

What was going on here?

"Right," Issei said, deciding not to ask too many questions. "Did you move it by yourself?"

"Your redheaded friend helped. She's a very strong girl."

"Oh," his mom said. She stood up and retrieved something from the cupboard. "She also wanted us to give you this."

Holy crap, was that…

Yep, no doubt about it. The latest smartphone. According to his knowledge it shouldn't even be out yet until next month. And it's price had four digits in dollars.

He turned it on. Fingerprint scanning.

He unlocked it with his thumb.

There was one text from Rias-senpai.

[Sorry about this morning. I didn't mean to say things like that. Can we talk about it tomorrow?]

He send a reply and put the phone away in his pocket. It was a miracle it fit because smartphones were getting larger and larger these days.

Just when had Rias-senpai done all this?

It looked like she wasn't angry at him after all. In fact, she seemed to regret her words. Or maybe just the way she had said them.

After dinner, he helped with the dishes. It was hard not to get distracted since both Asia and Ruruko were still wearing their naked aprons.

When they were done, he went to his room with the girls.

Two mattresses had been put right next to each other where his bed usually stood. There was little space left in his room now. But at least they would fit easily on the bed with three people.

For some reason, his mom had put the cardboard box that was normally hidden under his bed right in the middle of the mattresses.

Issei quickly took it and put it under his desk.

"How did you magic training go?" Ruruko asked, she hadn't seen him move the box.

"Not bad," he said.

"Something happened?" Asia asked. She sensed from his tone there was something wrong.

The two of them still wore their naked aprons which made it hard to focus.

"Akeno is acting weird," Issei admitted while trying not to stare too much.

"Akeno?" Ruruko-chan raised an eyebrow. "You're getting friendly, aren't you?"

"Ah, no, she just insisted I called her that."

"Sounds like more competition, Asia-chan," Ruruko said.

Asia sighed. "Nothing we can do about it. But maybe it's for the best. We're both a bit…" She looked down at her chest. "Lacking."

"You're right."

"It's nothing like that," Issei said. "Or maybe it is, I don't know."

"What happened?"

"Well, one moment she was acting all seductive asking me about which girls I like. Then she gave me some helpful advice and then she called me cute for being a virgin."

The girls shared a look.

"I don't understand," Issei said. "She changed into a skimpy outfit for my magic training and she showed me her boobs when I did a spell right but then when I said I was with the two of you, she called me cute again. And then she handed me magic circles she must have worked on really hard. I don't get it."

"You're a bit dense, aren't you?" Ruruko said. She said nothing about the whole 'she showed me her boobs'.

"How so?"

"She likes you, but she gets turned off because you're not playing her game. If she teases you, you're supposed to tease her back."

Wait, why were the two of them encouraging him to flirt with Akeno? Shouldn't they be jealous?

"But-"

"If you want her in your harem, you'll have to show her you can take charge," Ruruko said.

"But… how do you know she even likes me?"

"Of course she likes you," Ruruko said. "How could she not? The signs are all there, Ise-senpai. Don't be so dense."

"Well I'm not good with girls," he said.

"We'll just have to practice," she replied. "Say that - hypothetically speaking - two girls wore a naked apron hoping a certain dense boy would get the hint. What should you do?"

"Uhm…"

"Don't be scared, Senpai. You can do whatever you want, we won't bite," Ruruko said confidently. "Much," she added with a smile.

"That all sounds good in theory, but in practice it's… different." It was just really hard to actually do it when a girl stood in front of you. There was always this strange fear that stayed. The fear of doing something wrong.

"I have an idea," Ruruko said. She crouched down and retrieved the cardboard box from under his desk.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"How about we look together?" She offered as she put it down next to her on the bed. "And maybe if there's something you like, we could… do it together."

"Yeah, great idea," Asia-chan said quickly. She had been watching their exchange passively, but now she seemed determined to actually do something. Perhaps she was afraid Ruruko would leave her behind at this rate.

They both took the lid.

Hey, hold on a sec.

They didn't wait for his reply though.

The girls opened up the box together. Ruruko reached in and picked out the top magazine.

Both girls blushed heavily when they looked at the cover.

"That's a lot of leather," Ruruko noted.

"Yeah," Asia said.

"Give me that," Issei snapped. He tried janking the magazine out of her hand. However, because she held it so hard, it ripped when he did.

A nervous silence fell.

"Sorry," Ruruko said. She cast her eyes down. "We agreed you'd be the one making the decisions. I guess I got a bit frustrated that you didn't respond to our outfits. But I didn't mean to take things so far."

"I'm sorry too," Asia said.

"No, I…" he had clearly overreacted.

The whole point of him making the decisions was because they were afraid their jealousy would be a problem. That wasn't the case right now. They were working together really well in fact.

So he could just apologise and say it was fine if they continued like that. But…

Akeno was right. Yes, maybe he was taking advantage of the situation, but so what? Nothing was ever black and white. Even if he had taken advantage of it, it wasn't his fault the church had treated Asia like that. It wasn't his fault Ruruko's father had abused her like that. And if he was taking advantage of the consequences of that a little, then so be it.

Weren't they doing the same? Living here had greatly improved their lives. Everyone was kind to them here and they were free to do whatever they wanted. Those were just perks that came along with their relationship with him, not something they should feel bad for.

So he shouldn't feel bad for the perks that he got, even if he had manipulated the situation a little to get them. It's not like the girls were opposed to manipulation themselves. They had blatantly told him they would leave unless he took charge.

As long as his decisions didn't harm other people, like he had accidentally done by letting Freed escape, it should be fine.

He couldn't keep drowning in self-doubt. He had not forced them to choose this life, and he would not stop them if they ever changed their mind. That would just have to be enough to shut up his self-doubt.

Issei sat down on the bed and moved the box closer to him.

"This is my collection," he said. "Don't go running off without me."

"Do you want to punish us?" Ruruko asked.

"Both of you clearly worked on your jealousy issues, so I'll let it slide for now," he said.

"Thanks," Asia said. Especially she seemed relieved. Ruruko was harder to read.

"Now, both of you have teased me enough," Issei said. He put steel in his voice. "Take them off,  _now_."

They hesitated for a moment.

"As you wish," Ruruko said. He thought he saw a faint smile as she turned to Asia with her back. "Would you mind helping me out, Asia-chan?"

The church girl untied the complicated knot on Ruruko's back. He had a hard time reading Asia's expression.

When the knot was undone, Ruruko took off her apron and turned to help Asia with hers.

Asia seemed less excited to get naked, but she did not resist.

When her apron was off as well, they sat next to each other, fully naked now. Asia's hands instinctively moved to cover her breasts.

"Don't," Ruruko said.

Asia lowered her hands again. She looked a bit scared.

"If it's too much you can tell me," Issei said to Asia.

"No," Asia said. "Continue, please."

While they had been naked before, it was different this time. Issei was fully dressed which made them feel much more on display (which was probably the whole point). Not to mention he had told them to undress. While they would have done it on their own too, it was different if someone said you  _had_  to do it  _right now_.

But while Asia was scared a bit at this sudden development, there was also an excitement building up inside of her. An excitement that would probably overtake her fear soon enough.

Issei moved the box aside. "I don't think we'll be needing this."

It was time to take matters into his own two hands.

"I'm not cute," he mumbled to himself. "And I won't be a virgin for much longer."


	20. Chapter 20

Issei moved closer toward the girls.

He reached out with his hands to grab their boobs.

Finally.

He had been a frustrated virgin for so long. But now he would finally graduate and climb the steps to adulthood. And no one would laugh at him for being a virgin ever again. Next time he spied on the kendo girls club, it wouldn't be as a pathetic virgin anymore. It would be as a real-

"Senpai? Is something wrong?" Ruruko asked.

"Hm?"

"You're rougher than usual," she said.

He looked down. There were tiny half-crescent marks on their breasts. He must have dug his nails into them without noticing.

Ruruko was keeping her composure, but Asia was biting her lip, clearly struggling.

"Sorry." He quickly released them. Asia let out an audible sigh of relief.

"Are you frustrated that you're still a virgin?" Ruruko asked.

"Maybe a bit," he admitted.

"Don't worry," Ruruko said. She placed his hand back on her breast. "I can take care of that."

"Don't you mean we," Asia cut in. She took Issei's other hand and placed it on her own chest.

"You could hardly handle him being a little rough," Ruruko said. "Shouldn't you leave the real work to me?"

"You couldn't even take of your panties last night," Asia bounced back. "Are you-"

"That's enough," Issei said.

"But, Senpai," Ruruko said. "You can't do it with both of us at the same time."

"Yes, thanks for pointing that out, Ruruko," he said dryly. "I hadn't thought of that yet."

She did have a point there. He could tell them not to act jealous, but he couldn't tell them not to feel jealous. One of them would inevitably be 'his first' and the other would feel like second choice, that was pretty much inevitable. This was on a different level than a goodnight kiss.

He would have to do something about their rivalry.

"Sorry, Ise-san," Asia said. "We're making things difficult for you. It's fine if Ruruko-chan is your first. I can wait."

"No, Asia-chan," Ruruko said. "It's fine if you go first. You've been with him longer."

None of them were fine with this. They were telling him it was okay, but it really wasn't. They were just hiding their feelings.  
"I can't choose like that," Issei admitted. He lowered his hands.

"You have to," Ruruko said. "Look at you, Senpai."

She popped the button of his pants and pulled the zipper down.

He inadvertently let out a sigh of relief. His own hardness had been straining against his pants ever since Asia and Ruruko had undressed themselves. He had hardly realised it himself as he was focusing on other things, but now that the pressure was gone, he could feel his body relaxing a bit.

"Does it hurt?" Ruruko asked.

"I'm fine," Issei said.

"No, she's right," Asia said. "Ever since we came to live here, we haven't given you any time to… uhm, relief yourself. The tension must be building up inside of you."

"Maybe a bit," he admitted. It had indeed been a long time since he had some privacy. But that wasn't just their fault.

"We can't let things continue like this," Ruruko said. "You're way too frustrated."

"Well what do you suggest we do?" Issei asked. As she had pointed out, he couldn't do it with both of them at the same time.

"Should we give him some privacy?" Asia proposed.

"And what about you Asia?" Ruruko asked. "You're leaking on the bed."

He had seen Asia blush before, but never like that. She was so flustered it took her several tries to make a coherent sentence.

"I… I'm… I don't…you…" she swallowed hard. "Well, you're the same."

Ruruko blushed as well, though slightly less.

"What about it?" Ruruko said.

While Ruruko had phrased it a bit weird, it was true that both of them had a glistening wetness between their legs ever since taking off their aprons (and maybe even before that).

Asia was a church girl, so it was highly likely she was supposed to sleep with her hands above the covers. She probably had no clue how to take care of this herself. Ruruko was harder to tell. Regardless, she was right: things couldn't stay like this.

"Come here," he said, taking a decision.

"Senpai?"

"Sit with your back to me, right here," Issei said.

Ruruko turned around and sat down on her knees.

"Cross-legged," he instructed her. "Lean back on me."

"What are you planning, Senpai?" she asked as she followed his instructions.

He gestured for Asia to sit on the other side in the same way.

Issei took a deep breath and put his arms around their waist. His left arm around Asia and the right one around Ruruko.

He moved his hands down to their belly button.

"Okay?" he asked them.

They both seemed to realize what he was planning to do.

"Go ahead," Ruruko said.

"I'm in your care, Ise-san," Asia said.

He slid his hands even further down.

Their eyes widened.

He was just doing this for Asia-chan, Issei told himself. She had no clue how to take care of this herself, so he would have to do it for her. There was no other way.

Ruruko turned her head.

"Senpai?" she asked.

He got the hint and leaned in to kiss her. She immediately progressed to tongue kissing. After a while, he pulled away to catch his breath.

"Where did you learn this?" she asked, breathless. His fingers were working magic down there. It was nothing compared to when she did it by herself.

"I may have done some research," he admitted.

"Ise-san?" Asia said. "Me too."

"Oh, sorry." He turned to kiss Asia-chan as well.

His fingers deftly worked both of them. He went easy on Asia. From her response he gathered no one had ever touched her there before. Not even she herself. Ruruko on the other hand responded slightly more controlled. She may have some more experience with doing this by herself.

Asia sucked on his tongue, determined to keep it in her mouth.

But eventually, she had to let go to catch her breath.

Issei took the opportunity to whisper something in Ruruko's ear.

"Yes, Senpai," she obeyed. Her hands moved upward to fondle her own breasts.

Asia moved her head down to his neck. He felt a strange sensation.

A hickey, he realised. She was trying to give him a hickey.

Ruruko copied Asia on the other side.

He guessed they had succeeded, since both looked quite pleased at his neck.

Issei moved to trail kisses along Ruruko's neck. He sucked on her earlobe which earned him a surprised gasp. She was really sensitive there apparently.

"Senpai," she pleaded. "Do it more roughly please."

"Me too," Asia asked.

He obliged them. His fingers worked harder and faster.

"Ise-senpai," Ruruko said soon after. "I'm getting close." Her breathing got even more ragged.

"Go ahead, Ruruko-chan." He put his mouth on her neck and sucked hard enough to leave a mark.

A shiver went through her body. He could feel several tremors go through her body. More wetness gushed out over his fingers.

When it was over, she got limp.

He moved his hand up to keep her from falling over.

"That was amazing, Senpai," she said. She leaned back on him with a satisfied smile.

He kissed her again. A normal kiss this time, without any tongue-action.

"Uhm, Ise-san?" Asia asked.

"Oh, sorry."

He had stopped his movements completely, but obviously, Asia wasn't done yet.

"Sorry," Ruruko said. "I went ahead without you."

"It's… fine." She breathed hard now that Issei had restarted his movements.

"Let me help you," Ruruko offered.

"Huh?"

Ruruko moved down and took Asia's nipple in her mouth.

Asia let out a surprised yelp.

"Ruruko-chan, you…"

"Don't worry about it, Asia-chan," Ruruko said. "Just let yourself go." She put her nipple back in her mouth and sucked hard.

"Senpai."

"Asia-chan?"

She had never called him Senpai before.

"Senpai," she repeated. "Will you mark me as well?"

"Uhm, sure."

He moved his mouth to her neck.

"Not there," she said. "Down there."

Her hand guided him to her breast. The one Ruruko wasn't busy with.

"Okay," Issei said.

"Go ahead, Senpai," Ruruko said. "Mark her as your own."

He nodded.

Issei gave her a hickey.

Asia let out a scream. She was a lot less quiet than Ruruko.

Several spasms raced through her body.

When it was over, Asia fell down on her back. She breathed hard trying to regain her composure. Sweat glistened all over her skin.

"Oh my," Ruruko said with a little smile playing around on her lips. "She's a little virgin isn't she?"

Asia pushed herself back up.

"Uhm, Ruruko-chan?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks," she said. She gave the other girl a quick kiss on her cheek.

"It's nothing," Ruruko said. She seemed very surprised by the kiss.

"Ise-san hasn't…" Asia said.

"Right," Ruruko said. "Let's take care of him together."

Asia nodded firmly.

They both turned towards him.

They were really going to do it. They were-

A sparking sound disturbed them.

A little blue magic circle lit up next to Ruruko's ear.

"Saji-senpai?"

There was some reply, but Issei couldn't hear it.

"You did what?" Ruruko said.

[…]

"Stay there, I'm coming."

She turned to Issei. "Something came up." She walked to his closet and took out clothes. White panties, black jogging pants, a shirt and a black hoodie.

"I'm going with you," Issei said as she put on the panties.

"It's okay." She pulled the shirt over her head.

"I promised I would go with you when you went to talk with Saji."

"It's not about that, he uhm… something happened to him."

"I'm not letting you go alone," Issei said.

"Alright, but it's really not what you're thinking."

"Where is he now?"

"Department store."

"The what?"

"Are you coming?" she asked, fully dressed now.

"Sure." He turned to Asia. "Stay here, okay? I'll be right back."

Asia nodded.

"Let's go then," he said to Ruruko.

"Ye, Senpai." She moved closer to him. "Your pants are still open."

She pulled his zipper up.

They went downstairs. He took his bike outside.

Issei got on it while Ruruko sat on the luggage rack. Her own rack pushed against his back. She was holding him much tighter than was necessary.

It was cold outside. The wind played with their hair when he sped up.

What could Saji be doing there at this hour? Where they still working on making a Game Field?

In a few minutes, they reached it. They found Saji in the middle, sitting with his back against a pillar. The exact same pillar he had been held hostage before actually.

"Hey," Ruruko said.

"Hey," Issei added.

"Hyoudou-kun?" Saji said. "Here to laugh at me?"

"I don't even know what happened," Issei clarified. "I'm here for Ruruko only."

"I see. That's how it is."

"What happened?" Ruruko asked. She sat down next to Saji.

"I tried to kiss Kaichou," he admitted.

"Yes," she said. "You said that before. But how did you get into that situation?"

"I don't know. We were finishing up on the Game Field together and she told me how reliable I was and how… I don't know, I thought…"

She put her arm around his shoulder. "So you weren't lying about your crush on her?"

"Of course not," Saji said, he looked up with tears blinking in his eyes. "Why would I do that?"

"I thought you were only hanging out with me out of pity," Ruruko admitted. "And you made up an excuse for dumping me."

"I'm not your friend out of pity," Saji clarified.

"Yeah, I believe you now. So uhm, how did your kiss go?"

"How do you think?"

"Well, you should use your tongue sparingly," she said. "Don't go pushing it in there the first time."

He laughed through his tears. "I didn't get to that part. She slapped me before I could kiss her."

"So you're gonna sit here sulking about it?"

"I'm such an idiot. How can I ever face her again?"

"You just read the situation wrong. Go apologise to her, it'll be fine. Girls have to deal with unwanted male attention all the time. I'm sure she'll forgive you."

"I never wanted to kiss her, it just happened," he said. "I know that I'm just a low class resurrected devil and I could never hope to be on the same stage as her. But still, I-"

"That's not why she rejected you," Ruruko said.

"Then why did she?"

"Maybe it was your face," Ruruko suggested.

He laughed again. "Maybe my breasts weren't big enough," he bounced back.

"You're so mean," Ruruko complained.

They both laughed.

"You're right," Saji said eventually. "I shouldn't sit here sulking about it. That's not gonna get us anywhere. I'll go apologise to her." He stood up with renewed vigor.

"Maybe wait until next morning," Ruruko suggested.

"Right, of course. Thanks for coming, Ruruko-chan."

"No problem."

He turned to Issei. "Take good care of her, Hyoudou-kun, or you'll have to deal with me."

"I'll take care of her," Issei said.

He nodded.

"I should go home."

Saji waved his hand to create a magic circle. Seriously, why could he do that so easily?

"See you tomorrow," he said.

The circle activated and he was gone.

"Well that was easy," Issei said.

"Come on, Senpai."

Ruruko took his hand and dragged him with her.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"Didn't you promise you'd take me to get new clothes?"

"Well, yes, but, not now."

"Why not?"

"It's night, all the stores are closed."

"Late evening," she said. "And I can take care of that."

"We can't break in."

She stopped in her tracks.

"So the idea doesn't excite you? Breaking into a clothing store at night with me."

"We shouldn't," he repeated. "Little deviant."

"I'll leave money in the cash register, don't worry. I'm not gonna steal anything."

"You're crazy."

"Come on, Senpai. Please."

"Don't look at me with those puppy eyes."

"Please," she repeated.

"This is emotional blackmail."

She kept up her act.

"Fine, fine," he yielded. "Just for a bit then."

Ruruko smiled brightly.

"You're the best, Senpai," she said as she embraced him.

"I know, I know." He patted her back.

Excitedly, she ran to the first clothing store in sight.

She stood in front of the doors and waved her hand. "Alohomora."

The glass doors slid open.

"Look, Senpai, I'm a witch," she said.

He rolled his eyes. "Are you Sirius?"

Her laugh echoed through the hallways.

Ruruko cast a floating magic ball of light. It followed them around creating a pool of light.

"Let's see, hm," she mumbled. She studied the clothes, occasionally taking something out and then returning it.

"We shouldn't be here," he said.

"Have some fun, Senpai."

She wandered off further to the nightwear section. This was where he had found Asia's sexy red nightgown.

"What if someone comes?" he asked.

"We'll just run away."

"There's only one entrance."

"But you have magic circles with you."

He sighed. She was right about that. He carried several of the magic circles Akeno had given him in his pockets, so they could technically flee into their Game Field without trouble. Even so, he wasn't supposed to use them for that. And-

"I'm gonna try something on," she said.

She walked to the dressing rooms without waiting for his reply.

Issei ran after her. He hadn't seen what she was carrying, but it had to be some kind of sleepwear.

She walked in the dressing room and closed the curtain behind her.

"You're insane," Issei said.

"Tell me you're not having fun," she said from behind the curtain.

He shut up.

Not long after, she pulled open the curtain.

"What do you think?" she asked.

…

"Wow."

Ruruko had changed into pink shorts with a purple bowstring where a normal zipper might end (only this had no zipper). It was soft material as might be used for nightgowns. It ended into a wave pattern. The thing was so small most of her legs and thighs were exposed.

Above this, she had a tank top in darker pink. On the edges was a white wave pattern similar to the wave pattern of her shorts. It didn't even cover her to her belly button. At the top were two spaghetti straps keeping it up with a bowstring on either side at the point the strap went over into the fabric itself. He could see her nipples protrude a little through the fabric. She was obviously not wearing a bra.

Above all this was a long sleeved bathrobe. It was pink, like her pants, with fluffy white fur around her wrists and a fur-lined hood. It hung open completely.

"Senpai? What do you think?" she asked again.

"Gorgeous," he said without thinking.

She chuckled. "Come on in, Senpai."

"Uhm, sure." He went inside. She closed the curtain behind him.

"Why are you closing it?" he asked. "There's no one here."

"Well… look, Senpai, there is this… thing I've been wanting to try out."

"Does it involve a dressing room?"

"Yes. It's been a long time since I went into a dressing room. With my father and all the problems at home, you know."

"Yeah, I understand."

"There's this manga about a girl and a boy in a dressing room."

"What have you been reading?" he asked.

"Senpai." She turned bright red. "Don't ask a girl questions like that."

"Sorry."

"I was curious, so I sneaked some things home and secretly read them at night. One of them in particular stuck with me."

"About a dressing room?"

"The guy went shopping with her to buy her these beautiful dresses and lingerie and these super short skirts. I didn't have any of those. I had my school uniform, but it wasn't the same. So it kinda stuck with me."

"I see. So uhm, what did they do in the dressing room? Did he just buy her clothes?" Given the way she was saying it, it didn't sound like a normal manga.

"He went inside with her to check if it all fit and she thanked him by uhm…" she leaned in closer and whispered the next words in his ear.

"You're not talking about Datsui are you?"

She frowned. "You've read that?"

"Uhm… well, you know." He turned red. "Maybe."

"Senpai, you're so perverted."

"Look who's talking."

She blushed as well. "Anyway," she said. "Is it okay if we do that?"

"I… uhm…"

"Please?"

"Sure, if that's what you want."

She smiled. "Thanks, Senpai."

Ruruko moved closer. Her deft fingers opened up his pants.

She was really going to do… that.

He swallowed hard.

She carefully pulled down his boxers to his thighs.

"Already hard, huh?" she noted.

"Just following canon," he said.

She chuckled. "I guess I'll do the same then."  
Ruruko sank down to her knees.

Her hand reached out and touched him. It couldn't fully wrap around it since her hands were so tiny. Or he was so big. Yeah, it had to be the second one.

"I uhm…" Ruruko cleared her throat.

He recalled what happened next. "Don't say that," he quickly said.

"Yeah, that would indeed be a bit cringy," she admitted. "I'll just start then."

Her mouth engulfed him.

He had no time to prepare himself for the sudden sensation.

Somehow his legs kept him up during the sensory overload.

"You might want to move back a little," she suggested.

"Yeah." He moved back so he could lean against the wall.

Ruruko started again.

He had idly hoped he would be prepared the second time, but he really wasn't.

It felt like this little succubus was sucking out his soul.

Shivers went through his body.

Calm down, he told himself. You can handle this.

It's not like he had been fantasizing about this for years.

"Does it feel good, Senpai?" she asked. "This is uhm… my first time. So-"

"You're doing well," he said.

She smiled. "Thanks, Senpai."

If she was doing terrible he would have probably said the same, but she was really good actually.

"Let's see," she said. "Next is…"

She switched to using just her tongue. In keeping with canon, she didn't use her hands.

This felt way too good.

Issei forced his legs to keep himself up.

His face started to tingle.

Was this due to the blood flowing down? Or just the-

She pushed him back in her mouth which cut off the thought.

"Senpai," she said after a while.

"Hm?" He tried catching his breath in this short respite.

"You can take control a bit if you'd like," she said.

"Are you sure?"

"In keeping with canon," she pointed out. "You should."

"In canon she asks him to," he said.

"Are you actually gonna make me say that, Onii-chan?"

He turned red. Right, he had almost forgotten just how perverted this manga actually was.

"Uhm, let's not go down that route, shall we," he said.

"Agreed."

She started again.

He was slightly more prepared this time.

Issei studied her for a second. Her two ponytails were swinging back and forth with her head moving up and down. Her hard nipples were protruding clearly through her top now.

Hesitantly, he placed his hand on the back of her head, between the two ponytails.

There was no change. She kept servicing him with her mouth.

He guided her to a faster pace with his hand.

Ruruko made a humming noise which send vibrations through him. Of all the sensations that had assaulted him, this was by far the strangest.

This felt good. Really good. He had not thought this could possibly feel any better, but-

A noise pulled him back to reality.

He released her immediately.

Ruruko pulled off. Spit dribbled down from her chin to the floor.

"Wow," Ruruko said.

"Sorry," he said. "I got carried away. Are you okay?" He had pushed her too deep.

Ruruko was breathing hard. "Uhu," she said.

"You're panting," he said, concerned.

"It's not… I uhm... Senpai, you…"

"I'll let you do it on your own pace," he said.

That was safer. What if he accidentally choked her?

"No, Senpai, you…"

She turned even more red.

"What's wrong, Ruruko-chan?"

"Hold on, I'll show you."

She stood up.

Against all his expectations, she pulled down her pink shorts.

Was she planning to strip naked?

No, wait…

Ruruko stepped out of them and pushed them aside with her feet. She looked down, her face completely flushed.

"See?" she said.

She was wearing white panties with a little red bowtie on them. They had soaked through so much they had become translucent.

He touched her, as if to confirm her obvious state of arousal.

"You're uhm… really wet."

"Will you do that again please, Senpai?" she asked. She bit her lip. Her eyes still avoided his.

"Okay," he said.

"Thanks." She sat back down on her knees.

"Give me your hand."

"Uhm…" confused, she reached out with her hand and took his.

He placed it on his thigh. "Signal me if you need to breathe," he said. "Or anything else."

"Oh." Understanding reached her eyes. "Thanks, Senpai."

In a sudden flash of inspiration, he took one of her ponytails with each of his hands.

She smiled. "Pervert."

"You just asked me, so I might as well do it right. Ready?"

"Uhu." She opened her mouth.

He started.

He really was using her for his own pleasure now. She had no control anymore. With his hands securely on her ponytails, he controlled both depth and speed.

He could hardly stop himself from thrusting in her mouth as if he was having real sex with her.

She made slight gagging noises and occasionally, some spit dribbled down over her chin. But he was careful to periodically pull her up so she could catch her breath.

Her eyes started watering.

Issei felt something building inside of him. It wouldn't be long before he-

She tapped his thigh.

He released her so she could pull back up.

She caught her breath.

"You okay?" he asked.

"No," she said. "I can't handle this anymore. Can I… uhum… I want to… touch."

"You want to do what?"

"Ye, Senpai. I'm leaking through my panties here. Will you please let me touch myself?"

"Oh, uhm, sure."

"Thanks, Ise-senpai."

She moved her hand down. He had thought she would slide it inside her panties, but instead, she rubbed herself over the fabric.

Relief washed over her face when she could finally touch even though she wasn't touching herself directly.

She took him back in her mouth, much deeper than before.

Somehow, the sight of her touching herself while servicing him like this aroused him even more.

Ruruko had changed her style from before. Slow, deep strokes while she kept looking up at him. Her other hand went to fondle her own chest.

He wasn't going to last much longer like this.

"Ruruko," he said. "I'm gonna…"

She nodded. "Take control again, Senpai. Make yourself feel good."

"But-"

"It's okay."

If he hadn't been so close, he might have argued a bit more, but right now, that was all he needed.

He reached out and took her ponytails in his hands again.

Issei pushed her down deeper and faster than before. She did not resist. Her right hand rubbed faster through her panties and her other hand pulled hard on her own nipple.

He felt it approaching.

Her eyes widened when it happened.

"Fuck," Issei grunted. This felt way too good.

Not long after, all strength left his body. He quickly sat down on the bench behind him before he could collapse on the ground.

Ruruko touched his leg.

He looked at her.

She opened her mouth a bit so he could see.

She had kept everything in neatly.

Ruruko closed her mouth again and swallowed hard.

"See," she said, proud of herself. "I can handle it."

"I never doubted you," Issei said. He patted her head.

She flashed a smile.

Ruruko got up and went to sit next to him on the bench.

He notices her knees had turned reddish from kneeling on the floor.

"That was amazing," she said.

"Yeah."

She put her head down on his shoulder.

"Thanks for doing that with me, Senpai."

"My pleasure."

She laughed softly.

They stayed like that for a while.

"We should probably get back," he said eventually. "Asia will get worried."

"Yeah, you're right."

She stood up and changed back into her other clothes.

"So uhm," she said. She looked down at the clothes in her hands.

"We'll take them with us," he said. "I'll put the money behind the counter."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Did that sound like a question, Ruruko-chan?"

With a smile, she handed him the clothes.

He had seen the cashiers remove the security tags before, so he could easily do it himself.

With some magic from Ruruko, the cash register opened for them.

He put the money in there. Even though Freed had escaped, they had let him keep the bounty and there was still enough left for this.

Issei picked up a plastic bag from under the desk and put the clothes in there.

"Hold on," she said.

"Hm?"

She picked up the robe and put it on over her hoodie and yoga pants.

"What do you think?" she asked as she raised the hood.

He chuckled. "You're so fluffy."

She hugged him.

"Come on." He scooped her up in his arms in the princess carry.

She took the bag over from him and then settled into his arms with a satisfied smile.

He carried her out all the way. She was incredibly light in his arms. Or maybe it was his strength that had increased so much.

The cold wind assaulted them when they went outside. Ruruko buried her face in his chest.

He walked to his bike, still carrying her.

"I'm gonna have to put you down I think," Issei said.

"No, Senpai," she complained. She held on tight to him.

"We won't get home like this," he said.

"Hmm. Can't we just fly?"

"Not gonna work without Promotion for me. And someone might see us."

"But it's night. It's dark outside. No one can see us."

"Come on, Ruruko-chan. Let's go home and then you can keep hugging me for the rest of the night."

She looked up. "Promise?"

"Of course."

She stole a short kiss before allowing him to put her down.

He threw his leg over his bike and felt Ruruko sit behind him.

She immediately put her arms around him and held him, way tighter than was needed.

He pushed down hard on the pedals.

They sped up through the cold night air.

"I'll take you for real shopping another time," he promised. "You still need a bra and such."

"Are they so big they need support, Senpai?" she asked.

"Not really. But you know, you can't do a striptease without a bra, can you? You need enough layers to-"

"Pervert."

"If I remember well, later on in that manga, she-"

"I haven't read that far," she said.

"Yes you have."

"You can't prove that."

He chuckled.

They arrived back home.

It was really getting late.

They took off their shoes and tiptoed upstairs, careful not to wake up anyone.

Standing next to each other, they brushed their teeth. Ruruko had some fun by subtly pushing him away from the sink. He pushed her back easily.

She brushed her teeth for longer, perhaps to get rid of a certain taste.

"Don't leave me waiting," he said as he kissed her on her cheek.

"Never," she replied with her toothbrush still in her mouth.

Issei went to his room. Asia-chan was fast asleep.

He could see her bare shoulders over the blanket which led him to believe she was naked underneath.

Issei stripped to his boxers and got in bed as well.

Asia shrugged closer to him automatically while mumbling something in her sleep.

Should he tell her what had happened with Ruruko?

He probably should. But not now. She was so cute when she slept, he couldn't wake her up now.

Ruruko came in his room not long after.

She threw a pile of clothes over his desk chair.

With his devil night vision, he could see she had changed back into her new pink-purple outfit minus the bathrobe.

"How are you going to explain your new outfit tomorrow?" he whispered.

"I did some midnight shopping," she said.

He suppressed a chuckle.

Ruruko got under the covers and embraced him. She gave him a kiss on his lips.

He tasted the fresh mint of her toothpaste. Wanting more, he gently pushed his tongue inside her mouth. Their tongues danced around.

Issei let his hand rest on her breast. Not fondling or anything, just touching.

She broke off the kiss and put her head down on his chest.

"I love you, Senpai."

"Wow… uhm, Ruruko?"

Either she had fallen asleep, or, more likely, she pretended to sleep.

"I uhm… me too," he said.

Still no reply.

"Good night, Ruruko-chan."

"Good night, Senpai."


	21. Chapter 21

[Wake up, Master.]

Huh?

Something was off.

Was that his alarm clock?

[Master, wake up.]

Kisses were trailed along his neck and collarbone.

What the…

Had his alarm clock come to life?

Issei forced his eyes opened.

"Ruruko-chan?"

"Good morning, Master," she said in a reasonably good imitation of his alarm clock. She added a smile.

"Too early," he complained. He pulled the covers over his head.

"If you don't get up, I'll have to tickle you," she warned him.

"You wouldn't- hey."

He was totally unprepared for this sudden tickling attack.

Issei pushed her over to defend himself and somehow, she ended up on her back with him on top. He was pinning her arms above her head to stop her from tickling him.

Ruruko smiled. "What are you gonna do now, Senpai?" she asked in a sultry voice.

"Yes, Ise-san, what are you going to do now?" a new voice asked.

He looked to the side.

Asia-chan was sitting upright, with the covers pulled up to her chin to hide her naked body. Her eyes were very sharp for the early hour.

"Oh, hey, Asia-chan," he said, trying to sound casual.

"Where did Ruruko-chan get those clothes, Ise-san?" she asked.

He looked down. Ruruko was still wearing the pink-purple outfit. Issei quickly got off her.

"We did some midnight shopping," Ruruko said. She pushed herself up on her elbows.

"Something happened between the two of you," Asia deduced.

"Yeah, kinda," Ruruko said with a playful smile. "It was really fun."

"That's enough, Ruruko," Issei reprimanded her.

She clearly didn't expect this stern tone. "Alright, alright," she yielded.

Ruruko went to sit next to Asia.

"Look," she said as she put a hand on Asia's shoulder. "I'm really sorry. I've been pretty aggressive with Ise-senpai lately. I really didn't mean to shut you out."

"Yet you did," Asia said. "Somehow, you grew more confident than me and you left me behind."

"I'll try to hold back more," Ruruko said.

"No, you shouldn't be holding back for my sake. I shouldn't be this jealous."

"It's okay, Asia-chan," Issei said. He sat on her other side.

"Ise-kun," she looked at him. "Do you want to do the same things with me as with Ruruko-chan?"

"Well, I uhm…"

"Just answer me please."

"Well, yes."

"Then why don't you? Do you think I'm not ready for them?"

"Yeah. We shouldn't rush things. There's plenty of time, Asia-chan."

"It feels like you're gonna run off with Ruruko-chan alone and leave me behind."

"I won't," he promised her. "I'll never leave you, Asia. You're stuck with me forever."

"Then make it forever," she said determined.

"Asia?"

"You're a devil, Ise-san. I'm just a weak human. My lifespan is too short for us to be together."

"You want to become a devil?"

"Yes. I've been thinking about it for a long time now. As a human, we can never be together. I don't want to grow old while you stay the way you are. I know I'm pretty useless, but-"

"No," Ruruko cut in. "Asia, your healing magic is incredibly useful. Healing Sacred Gears are  _incredibly_ rare."

"They are?"

"Twilight Healing is the only known Sacred Gear than can heal the injuries of all beings. And there can never be more than seven copies of it at any given moment. And even then, not everyone can completely master it. The last known wielder could only heal little bruises before he was too tired to continue. But your affinity is unprecedented."

"I… I didn't know I was that special," she said.

"You're a precious gem, Asia. I'm sure Rias-senpai would love to have you in her peerage."

Asia nodded. "Thanks, Ruruko-chan. Sorry I was so jealous of you."

"Don't bother. I'm jealous of you too."

"What? Why?"

"You have this nice blond hair and green eyes. And a powerful Sacred Gear. And I'm sitting here, boring Ruruko-chan. No Sacred Gear, dull green eyes, brown hair. I'm so ordinary."

"Oh, you are?" Issei said. "Remind me of that time this ordinary girl took out two trained exorcists with light weapons."

"Ye, that was pure luck."

"Or that time when you were captured by Freed and you were smart enough to communicate your location to us without them noticing. Or when you Promoted to Queen to hold off that guy so I could shoot him. Or when you took his gun and aimed it at me just to have a chance to save Hanakai-san. Or-"

"We get it, Senpai," she said with a faint blush on her face. "Come on, Rias-senpai will be here soon."

"Right, breakfast."

He picked up his shirt and put it on.

"Hey, don't leave me behind," Asia said.

"Hold on." He picked her up in his arms.

"Ise-kun," she protested. "I need to put on clothes first."

"Nah, you're fine like that."

She pulled the covers a bit higher up to her chin.

"Unbelievable," she mumbled. Her face was bright red from embarrassment.

With a sigh of resignation, she wrapped her arms around him and put her head on his chest.

He carried her all the way downstairs.

It wasn't just his strength. His balance had increased too. Even with a low weight, a human would have a tough time carrying someone like that on a staircase. But he did it without skipping a beat.

He put Asia down on the kitchen.

She secured the covers around herself as one might do with a towel when coming out of the shower. It looked quite funny.

Even so, she helped Ruruko with preparing breakfast.

Luckily, his parents weren't up yet.

They ate their breakfast.

As if on cue, Rias-senpai arrived when they were done.

"Ise?"

Rias-senpai threw a glance at the girls. Ruruko was still in her purple-pink outfit which didn't leave much to the imagination and Asia was wrapped in the covers of his bed.

"Morning," Issei said.

"Are you ready?" she asked. Her voice was a bit strained.

"Hold on, I need to get changed first."

He went upstairs and put on his training jersey.

Rias-senpai was waiting for him in the hallway.

He put on his running shoes.

"Right, I'm ready," he said.

"Let's go then."

They went outside.

She started running.

Wait, not running.

Her pace was only light jogging.

Confused, he jogged next to her.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"It's useless anyway," she said. "All this training, and we still get our ass kicked in a real fight."

"I wouldn't say that. I won against Freed and Irin-"

"I'm a horrible King," she interrupted him. She was not her usual cheerful self.

"Rias-senpai? That's not-"

"No, it is. I took it out on you, but the truth is, I had no plan myself. I blamed you for not following a plan that didn't exist."  
"No, you were right, I should have called Saji."

She let out a humourless laugh. "Did I tell you to do that? You didn't think of it, but I didn't either. I just came up with it afterwards so I could blame you.  _Everyone_  could have called Saji, but no one did, and yet I took it out on you when in reality, I'm the one who should have come up with it."

"It's everyone's fault then." He kept trying to cheer her up.

"I'm the King, it's my job to think about these things. If I can't even do that…"

"That doesn't mean you did a bad job. You did everything you could. Your plan-"

"I had  _nothing_ , Ise-kun. I told you to stay hidden, but the truth was I…" she stopped running. "I was scared."

"Rias-senpai?" He had not expected this at all. But that certainly explained she felt so guilty for lashing out at him.

"There was no big tactical decision going on, Ise. I was scared something would happen to you so I told you to stay hidden. There was no plan."

He saw little tears blinking in her eyes. She wiped them away.

"Hey, it's okay," he told her.

"No," she stepped back. "It's not. I'm the King, Ise, I have a responsibility to all of you. You could have  _died_  back there due to my stupidity."

"How about you stop being the King for just a moment?" he suggested. "Before you break down."

She blinked a few times. "Alright then," she said. "Just a moment."

She put her head on his shoulder and held him. It wasn't a full hug. She didn't press her body tightly against his. Yet he felt her body relax.

Issei placed his hands on her back. Not to pull her closer, but just to show her he was there for her.

"Thanks, Ise," she said.

"No problem," he said. "Look, I believe in you, Rias-senpai. Yes, you may not be a tactical genius, but you care deeply about all of us. Even though you could practically treat us as your slaves, you're very kind. Maybe you should allow us to do something back. You don't have to do everything by yourself. Rely on us, the way we rely on you."

"Thanks," she said. He could tell she wasn't completely convinced, but he had cheered her up a little.

"Let's continue," she said, more cheerfully. She started running again, at her usual fast pace.

"Hey." He quickly ran after her.

He really should have stayed quiet after all.

Even so, she went a bit easier on him this morning. Not in the amount of exercise, but she let him take it slower than usual. Normally she would be complaining about his slow pacing, but now she didn't.

"I heard you're improving your magic," Rias-senpai said.

"I am."

"Akeno was very enthusiastic about your performance after only a day."

"What can I say? I'm just a natural talent."

"And so modest about it," she said dryly.

He shrugged.

"It seems that the outfit of your training instructor is vital to your performance," Rias-senpai noted.

He stopped halfway his pull-up. "Is that so?"

"Shall I wear a short skirt next time?"

"Well, if you insist."

She sighed. "You're hopeless, Ise."

"But if you don't want to motivate me that's up to you," he said. "Some people  _really_  want to help me and others just do the bare minimum."

"Don't push it, Ise," she warned him.

"Oh, by the way," Issei quickly changed the subject. "I have something important to discuss. It's about Asia."

He got off the bar.

"Let's hear it then," Rias-senpai said.

He explained the situation.

"It is true that her skills would be extremely valuable as a Bishop," Rias-senpai said. "But…"

"No good?"

"I'll have to think about it, Issei. Her position is… precarious. How will the church react if we take up one of their banished Holy Maidens?"

"I don't care about them."

"But you're not a King. This might have some political consequences. Our relationship with the church is strained as it is, I can't just act on my own."

"So, you won't do it?"

"I'll think about it," she promised. "Give me a few days at least."

"Right. Thanks, Rias-senpai."

"Now then. You don't think you'll get out of your training like this, do you? You still owe me five pull-ups."

Damn. For a second, he had thought it would work.

With a sigh, he jumped back up to take the bar.

After their training, they said goodbye and he went back home.

Things had turned out alright with Rias-senpai after all. She was even opening up a little bit to him.

He arrived home. In the hallway, he took of his shoes and then went to the living room.

"And then he-"

Ruruko stopped talking when she saw him.

"Oh, welcome back, Ise-san," Asia said.

Both of them were still sitting in the same position with the same clothes on. Or rather, lack of clothes.

"What is happening here?"

"Uhm. Asia asked me what happened last night," Ruruko said. "So I uhm… gave her a detailed report."

"You did huh?"

That explained why Asia's ears had turned red.

"Don't scare her away," Issei warned her.

"I can handle it," Asia said. "I'm no longer a church girl."

"Yes but-"

"I'm gonna do these things too from now on," she proclaimed.

"Uhm, okay. But right now you should put on clothes or we'll be late for school."

"Oh." She looked down. "Right."

He took a quick shower (alone) and then changed into his uniform.

When he came downstairs, he found Ruruko brushing Asia's hair.

"So then you-" Once again, Ruruko shut up when he entered.

"I was just giving Asia-chan some pointers," Ruruko explained. "In case… you know, something happens."

Strange.

Somehow, they had taken something Asia was jealous about and turned it around into a way of getting closer.

"We'll really be late if we don't leave now."

"Coming." She put down the hairbrush.

She had done a good job. Asia's hair was flowing smoothly down.

They put on their shoes and went out.

Almost automatically, Asia took his hand and walked closer to him. Ruruko took the other one.

"What are we gonna do if a third girl joins us?" Ruruko asked. "You only have two hands."

"I don't know," he said. "I'll have to make a schedule so you switch every day."

"I want Monday," Asia said.

"Good," Ruruko said. "Then I'll take all the other days."

"Hey."

"I don't think a third girl will join us," Issei said. It was already a miracle he had somehow gotten himself two girlfriends at the same time.

"We'll see," Ruruko said, not convinced.

They arrived at school not long after.

"There is the traitor," Matsuda said.

"Hey, come on guys."

"You're leaving us behind," Motohama said. "You're climbing the steps to adulthood on your own."

"We were a team," Matsuda said. "The Perverted Trio."

"Let's go to karaoke," Issei suggested.

"I don't want to go singing with your girlfriends," Matsuda said.

"Asia, do you think you could invite Kiryuu?" he asked.

"Of course. She'll be happy to go with us."

"I think I can ask Hanakai-senpai too," Ruruko sai, sensing were he was going. "And maybe Koneko-chan as well."

Matsuda's mouth fell open. "K-Koneko-chan?"

"Maybe Akeno wants to go with us as well," Issei said. "I'd have to ask her. But if the two of you don't want to come, then-"

"Hold on a second," Motohama said. "I never said that, that was Matsuda. I would love to go."

"I uhm… I was joking of course," Matsuda said. "We're not really angry at you. Isn't that right, Motohama?"

"Of course," Motohama quickly said. "So uhm. Do you think you could introduce us to Akeno-senpai?"

"Maybe. Come on, school is going to start."

"She has to be at least 100," Matsuda mumbled.

"102-60-89."

"That has to be the biggest chest at school."

"It is," Motohama confirmed.

They continued like that on their way to class.

Not much happened at school. The rumours had died down, making way for new ones. The most recent rumour was that Murayama and Katase had a lesbian relationship with each other.

While he liked the idea, he doubted if it was true. He had spied on them many times and not once had one of them sneaked a peek at the other while undressing. The only ones peeking at them were himself and his two buddies.

"Ise-san? Shall we eat lunch together?" Asia asked.

Oh. It was midday already, was it?

"Hold on, I'll text Ruruko-chan."

"If it's okay with you," she said. "I would like to be with you alone today. Just today."

"Hm."

"I already discussed it with her this morning and she was fine with it."

So that was what they were talking about this morning when he came back from his training?

"I see. Okay then."

He went with her.

"We're not going to the cafeteria?" he asked.

"I want to do a picnic in the woods," she said. "If you don't mind."

"Uhm, no. Sure. Are we allowed to do that?"

"Rias-senpai owns this school," Asia said. "I think we'll be fine."

"Speaking of her. I asked her this morning. About you joining her peerage."

"And?"

"She said she had to think about it."  
"Makes sense."  
They walked around the old school building and into the woods around it.

Asia guided him to an open spot a few hundred metres into the woods.

She summoned a vertical magic circle. From it, she pulled a blanket which she laid open on the forest floor and then she retrieved a cooling box.

"I have to admit Ruruko-chan helped me a bit with this," she said.

"You did this during my training?"

"Yes."

"Wow."

She sat down. "Have a seat, Ise-san." She tapped the ground next to her.

He came to sit beside her.

Asia opened the cooling box.

"I hope you like ham and cheese," she said.

"I do."

"Which would you like?"

"Uhm, cheese."

She handed him a sandwich and then took one for herself.

They ate together.

The sun shone through the gaps in the foliage and illuminated little dots on their blanket. It really was a beautiful day. Almost no wind and a lot of sun.

He took off his blazer to sit in his shirt. Asia took off her corset as well.

"It's really good," he said.

"I'm glad you like it."

It was quiet for a moment.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked eventually.

"Sure."

"This morning. You were surprisingly calm about it. I know that you agreed to share me with Ruruko-chan, but we  _did_  go behind your back."

"Ruruko-chan has no obligation to wait until I am ready to do these things with you," Asia said.

"But she should at least tell you about them."

She looked at him. "Was it all planned, Ise-san? She couldn't have known Saji would contact her from the mall. She was thinking about it, got the opportunity and did it. It's okay if you tell me afterwards."

"So you're not angry at me? Not at all?"

"I'm not allowed to be angry, Ise-san."

"Asia?"

"I don't like that I have to share you with another girl. But I don't have a choice. I want to make you happy, Ise-san, and if I make you choose between us, you'll never be fully happy."

She had a point there. If she forced him to choose right now, he would always have this doubt in his heart no matter what. There would always be a 'what if'. What if he had chosen the other girl instead? If he could choose at all between them that is. Even so…

"Can you be happy like this?" he asked.

"I can. It won't always be easy and yes, this morning I felt jealous and hurt, but Ruruko-chan was really nice and understanding to me. So were you."

"I don't feel like I was much help," he spoke his doubts.

"But you could never understand what it's like for me. You don't understand how painful it can be to have to share the boy you love."

"If it's painful-"

"It would be much more painful if I ever had to leave you, Ise-san. Much more. I don't even think I could handle it. If you leave me, then I don't think I want to live anymore."

"You can't kill yourself over me."

"Indeed," she said. "Christians are not allowed to take their own lives. I'll go to hell if I do. Maybe I'll see you there."

"Asia." He grabbed her shoulders. "Don't say things like that."

"You won't be here to stop me should that ever happen, Ise-san," she said confidently. "I was talking about you dying. If you dump me, I won't kill myself. I'll keep hoping that you'll change your mind. I'll work hard to become a better girl for you. A girl worthy of your attention. If you want me to become more seductive, I'll try my best to do that. If you want me to be more confident, I'll change. If my small breast size bothers you to me, I'll have an operation to enlarge them."

"You're fine the way you are, Asia-chan," he quickly said.

"Are you uncomfortable that I'm so dependant on you?" she asked.

"I'm uncomfortable with the idea that I may have molded you to be this way," he admitted.

"And who is gonna take the moral high ground and be the judge of that? Both of us are too much into this. We're both too biased now to judge if you did that, or if that is even a bad thing. Only God can judge you now, Ise-san."

He sighed.

She was right about that. He could condemn himself all he wanted, but ultimately, it wasn't for him to decide. He could never be neutral in this case, no one could. Was it really such a bad thing that Asia was with him now? Compared to the alternative, she looked pretty happy.

"I'm happy to be here with you," Asia said. "I don't think I've ever been truly happy before, but now I am. You're the only one who makes me smile. Since you caused them, you  _own_ my smiles, so I'm okay if you claim the rest of me as well. My life is back mine now, and I can give it to whomever I want. And i want to give it to you, completely."

"Asia."

"Will you accept me, Ise-san? Are you okay with owning all of me?"

"On one condition," he said.

"Anything."

He smiled. "That you finally stop calling me 'Ise-san'."

"But… I…" she shook her head. "No, you're right. 'Ise-san' is too formal."

"Just call me Ise then," he suggested.

"Can I call you Ise-senpai?"

"I'm only a month older," he pointed out. "Not even that much."

"But given our relationship I think it's more appropriate. Unless you would prefer Onii-chan or Mast-"

"Senpai is fine," he quickly said.

She nodded. "Okay, Ise-senpai."

Asia leaned in to kiss him.

It was just a short peck on his lips.

"Ise-senpai?" she asked.

"Hm?"

"Do you remember that kiss with Ruruko-chan?"

"What kiss?"

"The one you did in front of your friends."

"Oh, that one."

"Will you… do that to me as well?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay then."

He kissed her again.

His hand went up to to fondle her breast.

She was startled for a moment, as if she hadn't just asked for this, but then, her tongue softly pushed against his lips.

It was difficult to fondle her breast since she wore both a bra and a tight blouse.

Tired of this, he sneaked his hand under her blouse and opened up her bra.

He momentarily broke off the kiss.

"Okay?" he asked.

She replied by kissing him again.

He took that as a yes and moved his hand to fondle her chest directly.

They didn't move past that. They just continued to make out while Issei touched her boobs. Until eventually.

"I think lunch break is almost over."

"Yeah," Asia said. "I uhm… I hope you're okay with this for now."

"Asia?"

"I don't think I'm ready to do those  _things_ Ruruko-chan did with you. I know I said I would, but-"

"Don't worry about it, Asia," he reassured her. "You don't have to force yourself."

"But-"

"Asia." He put his hand on her shoulder. "You  _have_  to be ready. How will I enjoy those things if I worry about you all the time?"

She nodded. "Thanks for understanding, Ise-senpai."

They kissed again.

"We really have to go now or we'll be late," he said.

"Well then, could you…" she blushed and turned her back on him.

"Could I do  _what_?" he teased her.

"My… bra," she said.

"Is something wrong with it?"

"You're so cruel," she said.

He chuckled.

Issei put his hands under her blouse and fastened her bra again.

They packed up their things and send them back home through the magic circle.

"Let's go back then," Issei said. He held out his hand.

With a little smile, Asia took it.

The bell sounded just as they walked out of the woods.

Luckily, no one saw them come out since that would have led to some annoying rumours.

They both hurried to class.

After school, Issei went to the clubroom. There were three people there, surprisingly.

Koneko-chan was eating ice cream on the couch.

"Good to see you again, Ise-senpai," she said.

"Everything alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she said. "Maybe if Ruruko-chan stopped talking about you all the time I would be better."

"Sorry."

"Ise-kun," a second voice said.

Kiba stopped pacing back and forth in the clubroom.

"Something wrong?" Issei asked.

"I forced him to take some rest," Koneko-chan said while focusing on her ice cream. "He's been searching for Valper all the time."

"I'm gonna find him eventually," Kiba said. "Just wait and see."

"You're not going anywhere until you've rested a bit," Koneko-chan said.

"I can't rest," Kiba said. "Not until I find him."

"I've got time," Koneko-chan said. "Do try to escape again, that will be fun."

With a grumbling sound, Kiba went back to pacing.

Issei shifted his attention to Akeno, who was calmly drinking tea on the couch.

"Shall we get going then?" she offered.

"Ready when you are."

She downed the last of her tea and waved her hand to create a portal.

As he walked to the circle, the door suddenly opened.

"We've found him," Rias-senpai said, out of breath.

"You… what?"

"My familiar spotted a man handing in a bishop uniform at the dry cleaning. The same one as last time. We got him."

"But it wasn't Valper himself?" Issei asked.

"I have coordinates from the magic circle," she said. "They point to an abandoned house. Two streets away from the church."

"That does sound like a promising lead," Akeno said.

"What are we waiting for then?" Kiba asked. "Let's go."

"Indeed," Rias-senpai said. "Akeno." She handed her Queen a note.

Akeno folded it open and studied the runes.

She waved her hand again.

The magic circle expanded and shifted its runes.

They all stood inside of it.

Let's just hope this wouldn't be another dead end.

The circle activated.

* * *

"Any progress?" Valper asked.

"None, she's a tough one," the fallen angel said.

Valper checked the screen. Raynare was still strapped to the wooden cross. Electrodes were attached all over her body.

"I was just about to start up again," the fallen angel added.

Valper checked the parameters. Heartbeat, blood pressure, hydration level, all were normal. As normal as could be expected at least.

"Go ahead."

The fallen angel types the correct commands to activate the device.

Her screams began in tandem with the current.

"Mute her," Valper said, annoyed.

"Sorry." The fallen angel pressed the button to turn the speakers off. "I just like to hear her screams."

"Concentrate on her brain waves," Valper said.

"No changes."

"Well, turn it up then." It was time to try something new. At this rate, they would never get the desired effects. They had been busy for days already with no results. His superior was losing his patience.

"Are you sure?"  
"Yes, I'm sure. Turn it up."

In reality, Raynare was not actually being electrocuted. They just used electrodes to stimulate her pain center which made her  _feel_ as if she was in pain.

However, this stress on her body could still cause damage if it was kept up too long. While they did want to cause damage, it was mental damage they wanted, not physical.

The fallen angel turned up the current. Raynare screamed even harder. At least, he assumed she did since they didn't actually hear any of it.

"More?" he asked.

Valper studied the brainwaves. "A bit more."  
He turned up a dial.

Raynare's entire body started shaking. She was screaming the lungs out of her body. Her screams were partly muffled by the black rubber ball stuffed in her mouth, but they were still easy to hear if you stood in the room itself.

"Look," the fallen angel said. He pointed at the screen. "It's working."

The brainwaves were slowly changing their pattern.

"Perfect. Now make sure you-"

Everything went black.

"What the…"

"Blackout," the fallen angel said. He used his magic to create a floating ball of light. All their electronics had gone out.

"Fuck," Valper cursed. "That was too soon. There's no telling what state of mind she is in now."

"We should check outside if the power is out everywhere," the fallen angel said.

Just as he stood up, a small communication circle lit up in their midst.

[Evacuation plan A,] a tired voice said.

"What?"

[They found us,] the voice added.

"Then we should-"

The entire building shook. Above, they heard rumbling noises.

"We should go," the fallen angel said.

"But, my experiment."

He grabbed Valper's collar and dragged him to the door. "Sorry, sir, but there is no time for that. They could be here any moment."

He reached the special evacuation circle they had put into place.

* * *

"We should have the upper hand here," Rias-senpai said.

"They could have used magic to create light," Akeno suggested. "Or maybe they have backup generators somewhere."

"Our better sight should give us an edge even if they have a little light. But stay on your guard."

She kicked in a door.

No one.

"Where is everyone?" she said, frustrated.

They sped up.

Issei hoped this house wouldn't turn out to be completely deserted. Maybe that fallen angel had teleported several times as a safety mechanism. That is what he would do at least.

The next door was locked.

"Maybe we should find a key," Issei suggested.

She threw him a look as if he was insane.

"Stand back."

Buchou raised her hand. A red aura blasted the lock out of the door. She pushed it open.

"What the hell," she said. "Raynare?"

He entered as well.

Rias-senpai was right. The person in sight was undoubtedly Raynare. Her hair was disheveled, and her clothes were only a thin grey dress, but it was her.

The fallen angel was strapped to a large wooden cross painted black. It looked very similar to the one they had found in the hidden basement at the church.

When she saw them, she started making sounds, but they couldn't understand them since she was gagged with a leather ball. The gag seemed to be taken straight out of some BDSM-shop.

Issei approached her.

"Watch out," Rias-senpai warned him. "It could be a trap."

"I don't think it is," Issei said. "Besides, I'm just going to unfasten her gag."

It could indeed be a trap, but they had found Raynare's blood at the Suntrust building. And now she was here, in an empty house, barely clothed, tied up to a cross.

What kind of crazy trap would that be?

It looked more like they had just left this house in a hurry and she was left behind because of that.

Issei reached up. Raynare moved her head to the side so he could unfasten the rubber ball gag.

He unlocked it and let it fall to the ground.

"Ise-kun," she said. "I'm so glad you're here."

His heart stopped for a second.

This was her other voice. The girly one she had used to play 'Amano Yuuma'.

"What are you getting at?" he demanded.

"Ise-kun? I don't understand," she said, still in the same voice. "Why aren't you untying me?" She looked very confused. Her big violet eyes blinked a few times.

"Stop playing games, bitch," Rias-senpai said. "Where is Valper?"

"Valper? Ise-kun, who is that? I'm scared."

"Stop playing-"

"Hold on a sec," Issei said.

He studied the wires coming from her body.

Had they done something to her?

At this rate, her words would get her killed, and this was something Raynare should know very well. She couldn't be  _that_  stupid. Her best chance right now was to spill everything she knew and hope that would be enough to convince them to keep her alive. What she was doing now was basically suicide. Completely out of character for someone like her.

"Asia," he asked. "Can you check her?"

Asia didn't seem that keen on getting closer to Raynare, but when Issei asked her, she nodded firmly and came closer.

"Who is that, Ise-kun?" Raynare asked. A hint of fear crept into her voice.

Asia reached out. Her hands were unsteady.

Her fingertips touched Raynare's forehead.

She immediately retracted them.

"Asia? Are you okay?" She looked as if she had been shocked.

"Her mind is damaged," Asia said slowly. "I can feel it."

"What are you talking about?" Rias-senpai asked.

Asia touched Raynare's forehead again to confirm. She didn't retract this time.

"Yes, I'm sure," she said. "They did something to her. Something that damaged her mind. It feels all wrong."

"How do you know that?" Rias-senpai asked.

"Twilight Healing can sense damage. How else could I heal internal bleedings?"

"So you  _can_  heal her?"

"No, this is mental damage," Asia said. "I can only heal physical damage."

"What are you saying? That she has amnesia?"

"It looks that way," Issei said. "Or she's playing us."  
Raynare had stopped talking now. Her lips were shaking and she was biting the lower one. She looked like a little girl on the verge of crying.

[Buchou? Can you hear me?] They heard Kiba's voice. He was broadcasting to all of them through their communication devices.

"Loud and clear," Buchou said.

[The house is completely deserted. But we did find some kind of control room with screens and buttons.]

"Fire up the electricity," Rias-senpai ordered. "I want to know what that thing does."

"Ise-kun," Raynare spoke again. "Don't start it again, please. I…"

The rest of her sentence was lost in a sudden scream. She had started to scream exactly when the lights turned back on.

"Abort," Rias-senpai said. "Turn it off."  
The electricity went out again. Raynare's screams drowned away.

They were all silent for a moment.

"I don't think she's faking it," Asia-chan said.

That bloodcurdling scream was without a doubt real.

"Please," Raynare pleaded. "No more."  
"What do you remember?" Issei asked.

"Hyoudou Issei," she said.

Issei waited but it became clear she wouldn't say more.

"That's all?" he pressed on.

"Hyoudou Issei," she repeated. "I love Hyoudou Issei."

He turned to Rias-senpai.

"What do we do with her?"  
"It looks like she's been tortured for days," Buchou said slowly. "It could have driven her mad, somehow."

"And in her madness she clutched onto her fake personality of Yuuma-chan?"

He saw Raynare respond to that name.

"It's possible, but there's no telling whether she speaks the truth. Or whether Raynare is still somewhere in there."

"That depends," Issei said.

"On what?"

"That hypnosis you used on my parents. How does that work?"

"It's a mind trick. It only works on normal humans without Sacred Gears or special powers."

"That's what I thought. So if she actually has reverted to Yuuma-chan, she should respond as a human to hypnosis? Since it is a mind power."

Rias-senpai shrugged. "Worth a try I guess."

She approached Raynare and waved her hand.

Immediately, Raynare's eyes turned hazy.

"Well I'll be damned," Buchou said. "It's working."

"So…" What did that mean?

"She must have lost access to her fallen angel powers," Rias-senpai said. "That's the only explanation that makes sense. It's impossible to suppress your powers like that consciously. A real fallen angel would resist this unconsciously. Whatever happened to her, it's pretty deep. I don't think she's capable of using magic anymore."

"We should take her with us," Issei said. "This is the only lead we have."

"Agreed," Buchou said. "She's harmless now. But stay on your guard, I still don't trust her."

Issei removed the electrodes and untied the straps. Once they were loose, Raynare immediately fell down. Issei had to catch her.

It wasn't a trap after all. Raynare was completely harmless. Unless she was waiting for the right moment, but really, to what end? She could have just escaped with Valper. If they had a real plan, they could have just put explosives in this room and detonated them remotely. They had very little to gain by handing them Raynare on a silver platter. Quite the contrary. Raynare could potentially lead them to Valper.

"Sorry," Issei said to Asia.

"You're right," Asia said. "She's the only lead we have."

Her expression was strained.

They went outside.

"Is that the fallen angel?" Kiba asked.

"Long story," Rias-senpai said. "She has amnesia or something."

"Hm."

Buchou cursed. "Nothing again. We're running circles. This will lead us nowhere."

"I think I have an idea," Issei said. "Raynare can be of assistance."

"She doesn't remember anything," Rias-senpai said. "Or she won't tell us."

"Yes," Issei smiled. "You know that, and I know that. But does Valper know?"  
"He has a good point, Rias," Akeno said. "We must have disturbed them in the middle of something or they would have never left her behind. At the very least they would have killed her. They can't know for sure she doesn't remember anything."

Buchou nodded. "Which means they will most likely try to retrieve her."

"And given how thorough they are on dealing with loose ends," Issei said.  
"Maybe she'll be useful after all," Rias-senpai said. "Akeno? Do you still have that stuff?"

"Of course," Akeno said.

Stuff?

"Come on," Rias-senpai said. "There is work to be done."


	22. Chapter 22

"What is that?" Yuuma asked. She eyed the grey steel collar with some concern in her innocent eyes.

It looked like a dog collar, safe for the faintly glowing devil runes etched into it.

This thing was designed after the 'Limiters' of the fallen angels. A Limiter was a silver ring with a jewel set in the middle that was worn on the upper arm. It was used to control and train Sacred Gear users.

Ajuka Beelzebub had copied this principle from the fallen angels. However, contrary to the more advanced Limiters, the setting couldn't be lowered on a collar-type. With a Limiter, you could partly suppress your powers to train, but a collar always blocked them completely. Which is why it was only useful for prisoners and not for training purposes.

"None of your business," Rias-senpai said.

"It's a gift," Issei said. "Jewelry."

"Oh," her eyes lit up. "Sure."

She turned around happily and held up her hair so he could put it on her.

"Do I look good?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"And now this," Buchou said. She took out ankle cuffs.

"What is that?" Yuuma asked. She looked scared again.

"Don't you remember, Yuuma-chan?" Issei quickly said. "You're sleepwalking. You fell from the seventh floor last night."

"I did?"

"Yeah. You really scared me."

"So that's why I'm so confused?"

"Yeah. The doctors said your memory is all jumbled up. You need a lot of rest. Just put on the ankle cuffs so we'll be certain it doesn't happen again."

"Of course."

She allowed Rias-senpai to cuff her ankles to the bed.

"Now, have a good night's sleep," Issei said.

"I'm hungry," Yuuma said.

"I'll bring you some food," Issei assured her. "But in the meantime you have to rest."

"Okay." She laid down on the bed and allowed Issei to tuck her in.

Yuuma-chan drifted away to sleep immediately.

He left the room with Rias-senpai.

"Aren't you being a bit too friendly?" Buchou asked.

"She's our only lead," Issei said. "If we make her feel safe, her memories might return."

"Or we could torture them out of her."

"How do you think she lost them in the first place? You heard her scream, right? She has a trauma, if we want her memories to come back, we need to reassure her."

"You seemed genuine."

"She's our only lead," he repeated. "As you said, we're getting nowhere. We need answers, not tomorrow, not next week,  _now_. There is no telling whether she can actually lure Valper out like this. What if it doesn't work?"

"I intend to use her as bait. Nothing more." She conveniently ignored his question.

"And after that?" Issei asked.

"Then I have no more use for her."

Once again, ignoring the obvious problem.

"Shouldn't we get help?" he asked. "We don't know how strong Valper is."

"The Sitri peerage is here as well, we can handle things."

"We underestimated Valper before," he reminded her.

"So you want me to ask them for help? After we let our only lead slip through our fingers at the mall? No, Ise, I'm gonna prove them that I can take care of things by myself."

"Alright. So where is the kitchen?"

"Huh?"

"Did you want to take care of food by yourself too? If we're gonna stay here all night, we better have someone to make us some food."

"Right," she said. "Good thinking."

She gave him directions to the kitchen.

When she was out of sight, he put his hand to his ear to contact someone.

"Akeno-san?"

There was no reply even though she should be hearing him.

"Akeno?"

[Yes, Ise-kun?] there was a hint of teasing in her voice.

"I need a favor."

[Ara ara, I wasn't aware that I owed you any favors, Ise-kun.]

"You don't. But if you help me, I will owe you one."

[And what would I do with that?]

"I'm sure your sadistic mind can come up with something."

She chuckled. [What do you need, Ise-kun?]

He explained his plan.

[If I do this,] Akeno said. [You owe me big. Rias will certainly punish me if she finds out I went behind her back like that.]

He remembered what Ruruko had told him about teasing her.

"I know you secretly want her to discipline you," he tried.

[Maybe I want someone else to do it,] she hinted. [But I'm sure Rias will come up with a less fun punishment.]

"Well if you don't do it, I'll have to discipline you."

[Oh, am I taking orders from you now Ise-kun?]

"It's a Senpai's duty to help her junior in need."

[I don't think you're in that much need.]

"Fine. Cause I've been asking Ruruko-chan and Tsubaki-senpai would love to teach me magic. She was  _very_  impressed by my knowledge back at the Suntrust building. They just finished their Game Field and I heard it's completely adapted to using magic. So I'm gonna have to cancel our future-"

[Hold on a sec.]

"Hm? If I didn't know better, I would say you enjoy teaching me magic."

[Fine, I'll do it.]

"You owe me one."

She broke of the connection just as he reached the kitchen.

It looked like this had been a break room for teachers before. There was a sink and some cupboards, but then it had been expanded in a slightly different style to form a complete kitchen.

Issei opened the fridge. His idle hope that he could just warm up something sank away. There were only raw ingredients in here.

With a sigh, he touched his ear again.

"Ruruko-chan? Are you free?"

[For you, always,] she replied. [I'm stationed with Hanakai-san. Is it important?]

"Sort off."

[I'm coming. Where are you?]

"Kitchen."

[That does indeed sound important.]

He had decided not to call Asia, since she might be a bit reluctant to cook for Raynare.

Ruruko arrived not long after.

"Raynare said she was hungry," Issei explained. "And I am too actually." Due to the events, they hadn't eaten dinner yet.

"If we're gonna stay here all night, we should indeed make some food. Good thinking, Issei."

Since the odds were very high someone would try to free Raynare, or more likely, kill her, they had come up with a plan.

Both the Sitri peerage and the Gremory peerage were stationed all over the old school building. Outside, their familiars were watching the surroundings. A barrier was up which preventing teleporting inside.

Which meant that any possible attackers would have to come in on foot. If their familiars spotted them, they would be warned. However, the user of Excalibur Transparency could make himself invisible, so he was a likely man to send inside and the familiars would not see him coming.

To prevent this, they had locked all the windows. Akeno was watching the front door and the others patrolled the hallways. Even invisible, he would still have to get inside somehow.

Kiba was guarding Raynare's room in case they still got in. If night fell, they would let some people sleep while the others patrolled and then switch. As to what they would do if no one came this night, he didn't know. Rias-senpai avoided this question whenever he asked her.

They couldn't keep this up. What were they supposed to do, skip school for a week? They hoped that Valper would somehow try to kill Raynare, but they had no guarantee. What if he knew she had amnesia and was worthless to them?

Still, they could only-

[Two people,] Akeno reported through their communication device. [One Holy Sword. They are coming from the woods.]

[I think I know who that is,] Rias-senpai said. [Stay in position everyone.]

He frowned.

Wait.

Two people, one Holy Sword. Xenovia and Irina?

Had she called them?

[They are with us,] Buchou said shortly after.

[You called them?] Kiba asked.

[We need all the help we can get. Our last battle with Holy Sword users didn't end well, did it?]

No one replied to that.

Seems like Rias-senpai was less unprepared than he assumed. Still, would these two be enough?

"Anyway," Issei said. "We should probably get started."

" _We_? Since when can you cook, Senpai?"

"I can cook. If you tell me what to do."

"I see."

"So what are we going to make?" he asked.

"Curry rice, obviously."

"Right, why am I even asking?"

She chuckled.

They managed to put something together in a reasonably short time.

He and Ruruko went up to Raynare's room.

"I'll take over for a while," he told Kiba.

"You're actually just in time," Kiba said. "Buchou needs someone to take over from Akeno-san for a moment."

"Why?"

"She wants Akeno-san to set some traps in the woods, just in case."

"Right. I'll stay here until you return then."

"Thanks."

Kiba left them.

He entered the room with Ruruko-chan.

Yuuma-chan was sleeping peacefully.

Issei put the large pot of curry on a table nearby. Ruruko put down the plate with bowls and spoons she was carrying.

He filled up a bowl and then approached Yuuma.

Issei gently shook her awake.

"Morning already?" Yuuma asked. She stretched out.

"I've brought you some food," he said. He handed her a bowl.

"Thanks."

She immediately started eating.

From the way she ate, it looked like she hadn't gotten much food lately.

"I'm concerned about her," Issei whispered to Ruruko as she handed him a bowl.

"How so?" Ruruko asked. She filled up a third bowl for herself.

He took a bite. It was pretty good.

"What will we do with her after all this?" he spoke his doubts. "If she survives?"

"I don't know. Kill her? Imprison her?"

"She doesn't remember anything. How can we punish her for something she doesn't remember?"

"She still did all those things. Is it really so relevant she doesn't remember her sins?"

"But Raynare's gone now," he argued. "Is she inherently evil? Right now, she looks like a pretty normal girl to me. We can't just kill her."

"Well she can't just stay here either," Ruruko said.

She looked at the girl that was Amano Yuuma now.

Yuuma-chan had already finished her food.

He saw Ruruko's expression waver.

"More?" Ruruko eventually yielded.

Yuuma-chan nodded fervently.

He looked as Ruruko-chan refilled her bowl from the pot.

There was no redemption possible for Raynare, Issei decided. The only question they had to ask themselves was if Raynare still existed. This girl acted like Amano Yuuma now and she remembered nothing, so could she still be rightfully blamed for her earlier sins as Raynare?

Regardless, she couldn't stay here. Not with Asia.

Even if they kept her alive, he would need to find a place for her to go. A place out of sight of Asia. But where would a girl who remembered only a fake name go to? He had seen himself how ridiculously easy it was to take advantage of her. She had allowed Rias-senpai to chain her up and collar her without protest. Could he really trust someone to take good care of her? Wouldn't people try to take advantage of her?

If he decided to leave her alive, he would also have to protect her somehow, otherwise he might as well kill her. He couldn't leave her alive so other people could take advantage of her vulnerability.

"Don't give her more," he told Ruruko. "She'll get sick if she suddenly starts eating a lot."

Ruruko nodded.

"Thank you, Ise-kun," Yuuma-chan said. She put the empty bowl on the nightstand.

"You can go back to sleep," he told her.

"Hm."

She didn't need much more than that. Yuuma's eyes were already closing.

"What do you think?" he asked Ruruko.

"I don't know, Senpai. It's not for me to decide what to do with her."

Technically, this girl had killed him, but now that he saw her sleeping so peacefully, he didn't know what to do anymore.

Issei finished his own food and stood up. Ruruko was done as well.

They went outside.

"I'll wait here until Kiba…" he spotted someone. "Asia-chan? What are you doing here?"

"Nothing," Asia said.

"I'll go back to Hanakai-senpai," Ruruko said, sensing Asia wanted to talk to him.

"Right."

She left them.

"You're not stationed anywhere?" he asked Asia.

"To do what?  _Heal_  them to death?"

"Right." Asia's offensive power was indeed a little lacking.

"Rias-senpai wanted me to stick around in case someone got hurt," Asia explained.

"So you're wandering around?"

"I was looking for you."

"Oh, sorry. I was kinda busy with making food."  
"It's okay."

He narrowed his eyes. "You were looking for me here? Why didn't you ask Rias-senpai where I was?"

"Oh, uhm…"

"Asia-chan?"

"I wanted to talk to Raynare," she admitted.

"It's no use, Asia-chan. She doesn't remember anything."

"Maybe she does if she sees me."

"She has seen you before and she didn't recognise you, did she?"

Asia sighed. "Yeah, you're right."

"I'm really sorry we have to keep her around."  
"It's okay. Raynare was cruel to me yes, but… it wasn't personal. She was cruel to everyone."

"That's not really a redeeming quality," he pointed out. "Being less cruel than you could have been."

"Yes, but… It's good to know that it didn't have anything to do with me. It's different from Father Freed. If Raynare hadn't held him back, he would have…"

"Asia?"

"Raynare always held Freed back," she said. "I never understood why. It couldn't be out of concern for me. But after speaking with Ruruko-chan, I think I know why now."

"Your Sacred Gear?"

"Taking out Sacred Gears is a dangerous business that doesn't always work. And the power of a Sacred Gear depends on the affinity with its user. It was infinitely more valuable in my body since I could use it really well."

"But that just meant they had to keep you alive. They could still treat you however they wanted."

"Sacred Gears draw their power from the emotions of their wielder. A broken girl would have a hard time drawing power. That's why Raynare never allowed Father Freed to deny me food, or punish me overly harsh or… violate me."

That monster had actually tried that?

Now that she said it, he remembered Freed during their last fight. He had indeed tried to rip off her clothes. It wasn't strange to think he had tried this before.

"Has he ever…"

"No," Asia assured him. "The others were always in time to stop him."

So at least he had never managed to harm her like that.

"Why are you here, Asia?" he asked again. "Why did you want to see her?"

She stepped away and looked out of the window.

"I'm no longer a church girl," she said. "After everything that happened, it's no longer possible. There's so much more I want to do with you. So much more that the church would never allow me to do even if I was accepted again. And I  _want_ to be a devil. I  _want_ to see you become a King and be one of your servants. I don't want to wait until marriage to… give myself to you."

"I know," he said.

"Even so, I can't quite let my faith go. I'm still praying, I still read the bible and I still…"

"Asia?"

She took something out of the pocket of her skirt. Something wrapped in cloth.

Asia slowly unraveled the white cloth and revealed a silver cross.

That was her pendant.

"You still have that?" he asked.

"I keep it with me in my pocket," she said. "Carefully wrapped in cloth to make sure you don't touch it."

She wrapped it again.

"I still don't understand," Issei said.

"I have to deal with this period of my past," she said as she put the cross back in her pocket. "I have to put it behind me. Raynare is a part of that. I can't keep running away from my past."

"We still need her as bait," Issei said. "I can't allow you to-"

"I wasn't going to kill her."

"Then what were you going to do?"  
"I want to talk to her. Raynare didn't harm me personally. She followed her orders. Yes, she was cruel, but not more cruel than could be expected of her given the situation. She did not harm me personally. And if she doesn't remember anything, then…"

"You want to  _forgive_  her?"

"I'm still a devout believer, Ise. No longer a church girl, but still a Christian. Forgiveness is one of the most central things in Christianity."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"I can't answer that question, Ise-san. Not until I've spoken to her."

"But is  _now_ really the right time for that?"

"It might be the only time," Asia said. "If this fails, she'll be dead. And if it works, she will have outlived her purpose to Rias-senpai."

"I won't just let Rias-senpai kill her. At least not before you can talk to her."

"That's not your decision. Rias-senpai is your King."

"That doesn't mean she can do whatever she likes. She still takes orders from the higher ups in the Underworld. If I can convince them Raynare is not a threat, they might let her live."

"You never even talked to them."

"No? Are you certain of that?"

"How… what are you up to?"

"I asked Akeno to contact the higher ups in the Underworld to prepare reinforcements."

"You went behind her back?" Asia looked shocked.

"Rias-senpai has to learn to rely on others if need be. Valper has shown before that he is a significant threat and from what we've seen so far, it doesn't look like he's alone. We had Freed for a long time, and he never confessed anything. Unknown fallen angels, Holy Sword users, it's all too suspicious. I believe someone incredibly powerful is involved in all this. Someone who desperately destroys any loose ends to keep himself in the shadows. What if we make a miscalculation? We're just a bunch of teenagers who have no idea what they are up against. If we don't need them in the end, then so be it. But if we do, at least they will be ready to help us."

"She won't be happy about that."

"At least she'll be alive to be mad at me," he said.

"Ise?"

He turned. "Oh, Rias-senpai?"

Fuck, she hadn't heard them, had she?

"Akeno is almost finished with the traps," Rias-senpai said, apparently oblivious to their conversation.

"Good."

[Buchou?] Kiba's voice said. [I think we have a problem.]

"What's wrong?" she asked.

[Something's coming. Something very big.]

Rias-senpai raised her hand.

A little projection circle lit up.

"What the fuck is that?" Issei proclaimed.

He stared at what looked to be a massive three headed dog. It breathed fire and its eyes glowed fierce red. The fur was midnight black and shaggy.

The size of the beast was hard to tell without surroundings, but he had a bad feeling about it.

"That's Cerberus," Rias-senpai said, she had turned pale. "The dog that guards the Gates of Hell."

"How big is that thing?"

"Ten metres? Maybe more? It's coming for the barrier."

Damn.

Akeno had contacted the Underworld for reinforcements, but there was no way those were standing ready. They would need more time to gather a real force.

"We need to hold it off," he said.  _Until reinforcements arrive_. "Will the barrier hold against that thing?"

Rias-senpai replied by holding her hand to her ear. "I need everyone to reinforce the barrier. They have summoned Cerberus." She turned back to Issei. "I need you to stay here."

"It's a demonic beast," Issei said. "Isn't it?"

"Well of course it is. But-"

"Which means it will be very weak to Holy Weapons. Give me my light swords, Rias-senpai." He held out his hands.

"It's outside of the barrier, we just need to keep it up."

"And when it falls, I'll be ready." He didn't doubt it would.

She took a deep breath and then raised her hand to retrieve two golden handles from storage. "Be careful," she said as she handed them to him.

He nodded.

"I'm going with you," Asia said. "I have to heal you if you get hurt."

"Then who is going to guard her?" Issei asked. "Someone has to do it. What if this monster is a distraction? They could be sending the guy with Excalibur Transparency in right now."

"And what am I supposed to do against him?" Asia asked.

"He's right," Rias-senpai said. "It's highly likely the invisibility user is on his way. This is the perfect distraction. Someone has to stay here in protect her."

A silence fell.

They all knew the problem. If they picked someone really strong, it would be harder to keep Cerberus out, but if they picked someone weak, Raynare would be killed and they would be back to square zero. There were two battles to fight.

 _Think_. The Kings, Queens and Bishops were no option. Their magic was the strongest so they would be most useful in holding up the barrier. Which left Rooks, Bishops and…

"Saji-kun," Issei said.

"Are you sure he can handle himself against a Holy Sword user?" Rias-senpai asked.

"I think he's very motivated to prove himself. But you are right. It's dangerous to pick him alone. Let's station Sona's Knight with him."

"Meguri Tomoe," Rias-senpai nodded. "Good analysis. Both are strong, but they lack the magic to keep the barrier up and don't have the speed or defense to handle themselves against Cerberus if necessary. But what about Nimura-san?"

That was a tough one. It was dangerous to station three people for an invisible enemy that might not be there.

He heard sounds coming from outside. Growls from Cerberus.

There wasn't much time left. They had to decide right now.

Where would Ruruko-chan be most useful?

Since she couldn't Promote until…

Wait a minute.

He could only Promote within enemy territory, and right now, there was a barrier up. Which meant…

Issei closed his eyes.

For the first time, he hoped Promotion  _didn't_  work.

"Promotion,  _Knight_."

He heard the unmistakable sound of his swords bursting to life with red light.

"We have to station her with Saji," he said. They had no choice. His analysis was spot on: there was already an enemy inside. Otherwise he would never be able to Promote at school. Cerberus was just a distraction so they would leave Raynare vulnerable.

He turned to Asia. "Asia?"

"Hm?"

"Could you please pray for her?"

Asia was taken back by that, but then she nodded.

They quickly ran downstairs.

* * *

The barrier flickered and then restored itself.

"That doesn't look good," Issei said. He looked at the others. They all had a strained look on their face from keeping up the barrier. Hanakai had lost consciousness already and the rest was close to that.

Koneko put on a pair of gloves. "Only a few minutes now," she said.

If that monster broke through, he was supposed to stop it along with Kiba, Koneko, a blue haired girl called 'Tsubasa Yura' and Xenovia. Irina was here as well, but without a Holy Sword, she couldn't do much.

"We just need to stop it until reinforcements arrive," Issei said.

"It will be at least twenty more minutes," Akeno said. She bit her lip.

"I can't believe the two of you went behind my back," Buchou complained.

"We just saved your ass," Issei pointed out.

"Not to mention the rest of your body," Akeno added.

The second Bishop lost consciousness as well. Not long after, Tsubaki-senpai fell on her knees.

With a crashing sound, the barrier finally broke. He vaguely spotted the people who had kept it up falling backwards. Cracks raced up in the semi-transparent shield. When the shards of the barrier hit the ground, they vanished. It only took a few seconds before the entire barrier was gone.

Cerberus stormed right at them.

Issei activated his blades. Red light streamed out of them.

He wanted to run ahead, but Koneko and Sona's Rook were faster.

They kicked the middle head together. Reverberations were send through the massive body. Cerberus' advance stopped abruptly.

He knew Koneko was strong, but he had not expected her to stop him like that, even with Tsubasa-san's help.

Cerberus made a loud growling sound.

Flames burst out of the heads. Koneko jumped back to evade, but she was unable to dodge completely. Her skirt caught on fire.

She patted it with her hands to extinguish the flames.

Tsubasa-san was less fast. The flames had hit her directly and burned her badly. She couldn't stand up again and Irina had to drag her out of reach while Kiba and Xenovia kept Cerberus busy.

Kiba's sword hardly did any damage, but Xenovia's cuts did. They were deeper and the monster grunted louder when she hit it. As expected, it was weaker to holy weapons.

A casual kick from Cerberus send Kiba flying backwards.

Damn. This monster was really strong.

Issei closed in and swung his weapons. Blood burst out of the left paw.

It was work-

Teeth sank deep into his arm.

Stupid beast.

He wildly stabbed with his blades causing more wounds, but the dog was so massive it remained unfazed by that and only bit down harder. As the strength left his body, his blades fell on the ground, flickered and then turned off.

Not good.

A blue shockwave hit the head which forced the dog to release him.

Issei stumbled back.

That monster was way too strong.

He looked at his arm. It was bleeding heavily. But there was something else too. A familiar burning sensation.

"Issei." Asia was suddenly next to him. She put her hands on his arm and healed the wound.

"Watch out."

He pulled her back to avoid another flame attack.

Even though it was four against one, they were pushed back heavily.

Cerberus lowered its body.

 _It's gonna jump towards us_ , Issei realised. The monster had accurately determined that Asia was the weak link. Without healing, they wouldn't last long. His entire left arm was already useless after one attack.

"Down, doggy," a booming voice said.

Cerberus laid down on the ground.

What the…

A man walked towards them.

The first thing Issei noticed was how skinny he was. He wasn't just tall and gangly, he was a skeleton. His ribs poked out through the black robes. His milky white skin, pointy ears and glowing red eyes added even more to this vampire-look. When his thin lips split into a grin, sharp fangs were revealed.

However, it wasn't a vampire. Vampires didn't have five pairs of crow-feather wings on their back.

"Ten," Koneko cursed. "A top fallen angel."

Issei looked at her. She was bleeding badly. Half of her skirt had burned away and now her white panties with blue dots were partly revealed. In a different context, he would have stared longer at her.

Asia put her hands on Koneko and started healing her burns.

"So you're the one helping Valper," Xenovia said. "Should have known a top fallen angel like Kokabiel would be involved."

"You have no idea what you're talking about, stupid girl," the man named Kokabiel said.

Xenovia shrugged. "I know enough."

A wave of blue energy burst out of her sword.

Kokabiel raised a shield.

The aura clashed against it.

A rumbling sound reached them. Cracks appeared along the ground, but Kokabiel himself stood unscathed.

"My turn," he said.

A yellow lightspear formed in his hand. A concerningly big one.

"Do your worst," Xenovia said. She took a stance with her sword.

"Xenovia."

Issei was just in time to pull her aside.

The spear raced past them, hit the gym and exploded.

When the smoke cleared, there was a gaping hole where the gym had once stood.

Xenovia looked shocked. If that thing had hit her, she would have certainly died. Her own Excalibur Destruction could have blasted a hole in the wall on full power, but to destroy a complete building, that was something else entirely.

"That doesn't look good," Rias-senpai said. The lightspears so far had burned badly, but they certainly hadn't exploded like that.

He studied Rias-senpai. There was sweat glistening on her body and her breathing went hard, but she had recovered somewhat. But she wasn't in a state to use much magic.

When he looked around, he saw that the people who had kept up the barrier were slowly getting up again.

"How kind of you to join us, Rias Gremory," the fallen angel said. "Are you here to entertain me?"

She did not respond.

"I'm still heavily debating whether I'll violate you first and then kill you, or the other way around," he said in a concerningly casual tone. "What do you think, Freed?"

Kokabiel looked back. Freed had just appeared behind him and was now walking to stand next to the fallen angel. A huge golden greatsword was resting on his shoulder.

"If you kill them, they can't scream anymore," Freed said. "You'll be missing the fun."

"But what about the screams of the others watching?" the other one pointed out.

"Good point," Freed grinned. "I suppose we'll have to test it. I know a good test subject." His eyes fell on Asia.

"She can't be harmed," Kokabiel hissed. "You know that."  
"Not even a little rape?"

"Pick someone else, idiot," Kokabiel said. "If William finds out, we're dead."

The others looked with increasing concern at these two. They were insane, both of them.

Rias-senpai opened her mouth to say something, but Issei grabbed her hand.

"Don't," he whispered.

Reinforcements were on their way. The longer these two morons stalled, the better for them. If this guy could blow up the gym so easily, they had no hope of beating him.

"What is going on here?" a third voice asked.

"Valper," Kiba hissed.

It was indeed without a doubt Valper Galilei. Thinning grey hair, a thin mustache and dark eyes behind spectacles. He matched the description from Raynare's dairy perfectly.

The ex-bishop was dressed in a black priest uniform with a cross dangling around his neck. He hadn't been able to retrieve his bishop uniform yet.

"Freed, explain yourself," Valper demanded.

"We're just having some fun," Kokabiel said. "Besides, if we kill this bitch, it could restart the war."

"You're insane," Valper proclaimed. His mustache was trembling with anger.

"Careful now, Valper," Kokabiel warned him. "You don't want to pick a fight with me."

Something weird was going on here. It looked like Freed was working for both Valper and Kokabiel, but these two weren't on the same side. And who was this 'William' Kokabiel had mentioned? It had to be a powerful person since him wanting Asia alive convinced Kokabiel not to harm her.

Valper shrugged. "It doesn't matter anyway. We're here to take care of a loose end. It won't be long now."

He must be referring to Raynare. Apparently Valper wasn't that familiar with their peerage make-up since he didn't realise three of them were missing. Or he didn't care. Either that, or they were already dead.

He pushed away the thought.

"Well we're about to have some fun," Freed said. He licked his lips.

Valper shrugged. "Don't get caught. William won't go easy on you a second time."

He turned and walked back.

However, before he could take more than two steps, several blades sprung up from the ground and blocked his path.

"You're not going anywhere," Kiba said.

Valper sighed. "You must be a survivor from the Holy Sword project."

"Yes," Kiba confirmed. "And I'll get my revenge now."

"What revenge? You served your purpose, be glad about it." He took something from his pocket. A strange blue crystal. "This is the essence extracted from your bodies."

"That's…" Irina was shocked.

"That's the crystal we took up in our bodies when we became Holy Sword wielders," Xenovia finished for her.

"Exactly," Valper said. "The church banished me for  _immoral_  experiments, but then continued to use my results and even improved on them."

"We're also using nazi experimental data today," Issei said. "You can't blame them for being practical."  
"No one asked you,  _devil boy_ ," Valper lashed out. "Those hypocrites banished me and still build on my research. I swore I'd have my revenge."

"So you stole Excalibur?" Rias-senpai asked.

"Foolish girl. Stealing Excalibur has nothing to do with this. My superior wanted weapons for his underlings." He nodded to Freed. "And I kindly assisted him. In return, he guaranteed me I'd have my revenge."

"The only one taking revenge will be me," Kiba said. He raced forward, a blade in each hand.

Valper sighed. "Freed."

Freed stepped in front of him. "Rapidly," he hissed.

Issei was unable to follow the exact movements. All he knew is that one moment, Kiba was storming towards Freed and the next he was thrown several steps back and bleeding from various cuts. He had lost one of his weapons, but he had held on to the other one even as blood was running down his arm.

Asia ran towards him to heal his wounds, but Issei noticed they were closing more slowly than usual. Asia was getting tired as well.

Freed lifted his blade again.

"Don't bother with that idiot," Valper said. "Kill the church warriors."

"Hai hai," Freed said. He turned his attention to Xenovia.

Excalibur Rapidly was a very bad match with Xenovia's destruction skills.

Technically speaking, he had no obligation to help her. Xenovia was not on their side. The only reason she helped them was because she hoped to retrieve Excalibur. Once that was done, she would be going again. There was absolutely no reason to risk his life for her. She had even threatened to kill Asia based upon her absurd beliefs.

And yet…

Why was he arguing with himself?

He knew all this already. He knew that he shouldn't help her. That he should save his trump card a bit longer.

Someone took his hand. He didn't have to look to know who it was.

"It's okay," Asia said. "Go ahead."

"But-"

"You'll regret it if you don't."

He nodded and released her hand.

Issei took a deep breath. "Promotion,  _Queen_."

An insane amount of power surged through his body.

His nails deformed into long red claws very similar to those of Cerberus.

Issei ran forward towards Freed.

He lifted his hand and aimed for his opponent's back.

Flames burst from his palm.

Freed screamed. His body twisted around and stumbled backwards.

Xenovia tried stabbing him, but somehow, Freed managed to do a backflip over her. He landed back on his feet and lifted his weapon.

"Nice try, devil boy," he said.

"You shouldn't have helped me," Xenovia said as Issei stood next to her.

"Don't be ridiculous," Issei said.

"We're comrades," Kiba added. He took his stance on her other side.

Xenovia was momentarily surprised, but then she nodded.

"Let's get serious then."

She held out her free left hand.

"Petra, Basilius, Dionysus and Holy Virgin Maria, hear my words."

A pure white magic circle lit up in front of her. From it, something was drawn forward.

A huge blue blade wrapped in chains moved from the circle and floated in front of her hand.

She grabbed the golden handle. The chains snapped.

That had to be a Holy Sword. But how…

"Impossible," Valper proclaimed. "Even with their improvements, no one should be able to wield Durandal yet."

Xenovia smiled. "Unlike them, I'm all natural."

"You," his eyes widened. "You're a  _real_  Holy Sword wielder?"

"Foolish man," Xenovia said. "You think the church would send two pieces of Excalibur to retrieve three? Obviously, we had a trump card."

She threw Excalibur Destruction to Irina who caught it without trouble.

"Now then," Xenovia said as she shifted to a two-handed grip. "Let's see how you handle yourself against the four of us."

"It's time to get serious," Freed said. "Nightmare."

They were suddenly surrounded by identical copies of Freed.

"What have you done?" Irina demanded.

Valper smiled. "I may have merged the three pieces a little. Show them what you're made off, Freed."

"Hai hai. Mimic."

His blade deformed into a whip.

"Not good," Issei said.

They scattered and swung at the copies.

Whenever they hit one, it vanished.

"Got him," Kiba said. He had locked blades with the real Freed.

Issei aimed his hand to release his flames again, but Freed used Rapidly to get away.

"That's enough."

An explosion send them all flying backwards.

Issei hit the ground hard. He struggled to push himself upwards.

Those were some broken ribs for sure.

He looked around. Everyone else seemed fine. Well,  _alive_.

"I don't have time for these stupid games," Kokabiel said. "I'm here to start a war."

Wait your fucking turn. Honestly, why did everyone attack him at the same time?

"Then why didn't you do that sooner?" Issei asked. "You could have walked in here at any moment."

"Azazel kept an annoyingly close eye on me. But my new friend took care of that. And now, no one will disturb us." He turned his attention to Rias-senpai. "If I kill you, Sirzechs will surely restart the war." There was a madness in his eyes.

"You want me?" Rias-senpai asked with a smile. "Come and get me then."

She pulled something from her pocket and threw it. A vertical magic circle burst out.

Rias-senpai jumped through it and vanished.

With a scream, Kokabiel ran after her through the circle.

"Rias-senpai."

Xenovia grabbed his shoulder.

"Don't."

The magic circle closed again before anyone could follow them.

"She's stalling," Xenovia added.

"I know. But still."

Rias-senpai idea was perfect. Given Kokabiel's power, they had no hope of defeating him. The only chance they had was to keep him busy until reinforcements arrived. So she intended to make him chase her through their Game Field. In here, there was too much danger of collateral damage killing someone.

"Whatever," Freed said. "We don't need him."

He lifted his weapon again.

Kiba stormed forward and clashed blades with him.

The Knight managed to hold his ground for a moment, but then a severe clash snapped Kiba's weapon in half. Freed didn't waste the opportunity and dealt a severe cut across Kiba's chest.

The others stepped in to save him, but Freed easily held them off.

Not good.

Freed drove them all back which left Kiba defenseless. To heal him, Asia would have to run past them and Freed, and from Freed's eyes, Issei guessed his intent was to stop this from happening. With a deep cut like that, it was a matter of time before Kiba lost consciousness due to blood loss.

"Foolish boy," Valper said as he approached Kiba. "You should have died with the others after serving your purpose."

"I'm going to kill you," he proclaimed.

"You'll die here," Valper said calmly. He took out the blue crystal again. "Here. Take it."

The crystal fell in front of Kiba.

"We have much more refined techniques now," Valper explained. "We can mass produce them without trouble. You are no longer needed."

Kiba took the crystal in both hands. "How many innocents have died in your experiments?"

Valper shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"It matters to me."

Blue light radiated from the crystal.

"What the…"

They all lowered their weapons, momentarily forgetting they were in a fight.

Blue dots floated from the crystal and then formed…

Issei narrowed his eyes.

Spirits?

Some kind of semi-transparent ghosts formed themselves around Kiba.

Were these the people who had died in the holy Sword project? The ones whose essense was locked in the crystal?

"I promise," Kiba said to them. "I'll take revenge for all of you."

"Revenge?" A boy replied. "You misunderstand, Kiba-kun."

"What? You don't want me to kill him?"

"Not for us," the boy said. "We're dead already, it won't make any difference. We won't come back."

"However," a girl added. "You must slay this evil before you. You must prevent…"

"More from following our path," the boy finished.

"I can't," Kiba said. "I don't have the strength."

"What are you talking about?" the boy said.

"We're together now," the girl said. "We can overcome anything." She put her hand on his shoulder.

He shook his head. "It shouldn't have been me," he said. "I shouldn't have been the sole survivor." He looked at the boy. "You were stronger than me. And you," he shifted his attention to the girl. "You were smarter. And…" he looked at the smallest girl of them all. "You had bigger dreams than me."

"It's okay," the little girl said. "Don't you remember?"

She started singing. The other ghosts quickly joined her.

Issei didn't recognise the song, but to Kiba it seemed to carry meaning since tears started dripping down on the ground.

"I'm not scared," the little girl said. "Not anymore."

"As long as we're together," the ghost-boy said. "Our hearts will always be…"

"One," Kiba finished. He wiped away his tears.

The ghosts turned back into blue orbs which melted into Kiba's body, right where his heart was.

Kiba's entire body emitted a blue glow. He was lifted from the ground for a moment. Then, the glow subsided and he landed on his feet.

"You heard them," he said as he lifted his blade. "I must slay this evil before me. Not for them, but for all the others you'll harm in the future."

"Freed," Valper called.

Freed sighed and jumped over all of them to take a protective stance in front of Valper.

"You think you can beat me now?" Valper asked with a chuckle. "Because you talked to a few ghosts?"

"We're one now," Kiba said. He lifted his blade.

It glowed fierce blue. In the middle of the blade, demonic runes appeared in red. However, the glow of the blade was blue-white.

Valper narrowed his eyes. "That's impossible."

He sensed it too. The aura of the blade was wrong. Not just demonic, but also…

"Holy," Freed said. "It can't be."

"Sword of Betrayer," Kiba said. "A sword that is both demonic and holy."

"Those two opposing forces could never come together," Valper proclaimed. "This is impossible."

"We'll see about that," Kiba said. He lifted his new weapon.

Freed used a Mimic whip-attack, but when Kiba blocked it, the whip cracked. Splinters fell on the ground.

"Not good," Freed said.

Xenovia and Irina joined Kiba.

Freed's weapon was unable to resist the strain of Durandal, Excalibur Destruction and his own Sword of Betrayer. Not long after, the tension proved too much and it broke.

"This is insane," Freed said. "You're cheating." He threw the remnants of his weapon on the ground.

"Freed Sellzen," Kiba proclaimed. "Prepare to-"

"No thanks."

Freed threw something on the ground which filled their view with black smoke.

When they could see clearly again, Freed was gone, but the golden pieces of Excalibur remained on the ground.

"Slippery eel," Kiba cursed. He turned his attention to Valper.

The ex-bishop smiled. "Your power is the real deal. It is indeed a holy demonic sword."

"What are you smiling about?"

"Don't you realise what this means? Two opposing powers could never come together like that, unless," he raised his finger. "Something happened that skewed the balance completely."

"What are you blabbering on about?"

"God is dead."

A shocked silence fell.

"The System would never allow this abomination," Valper added. "Unless it's running on autopilot. Which means that the Throne of Heaven is empty."

"That's impossible," Xenovia yelled, her voice was almost a scream.

"Now then," Valper said. "Shall we get on with our business? I would ask you to bury me in the bishop uniform, but I guess that would be too much to ask from you guys."

"You're not going to flee?"

"I'm not Freed. I'm an old man without any tricks up his sleeve. Without a fighter beside me, I have no chance. Reason tells me that there's no way I can get out of this situation."

"Kiba," Issei said. "Don't kill him. He's playing you." Valper was just a tiny fish. His superior was the one that matted."

"Come on," Valper taunted him. "Don't you want to take your revenge? I'm right-"

A blade pierced his belly.

What the…

Irina?

"God is not dead," she said. Her fingers twisted Excalibur Destruction around. "It can't be."

Valper smiled. "I suppose I'll find out soon enough."

"Irina, stop that."

An explosion sounded as she released the aura of her weapon.

White light blinded them.

Valper was gone. There were hardly any traces from him left after the explosion, only some blood dripping down from Irina's weapon.

"It can't be," Irina repeated. "God can't be dead."

[Ise-senpai?]

"Ruruko? Are you okay?"

[We're fine. Although Saji-senpai will need some healing later. We managed to stop that invisibility user.]

"Is he still alive?"

[Uhm… he kinda lost his head, so I guess not. How is the situation over there.]

"Freed escaped and Valper is dead."

[So no leads again?]

"What do we do with Rias?" Akeno interrupted them. "She's still in the Game Field."

"I'll call you back," he said to Ruruko. Without waiting for her reply he broke off the communication and took out a card. "I'm going in."

A loud growl sounded. Cerberus had gotten back up and he didn't look very happy.

"Go," Akeno said. "We can handle him. Rias needs you."

Issei nodded. He looked at Asia. She was too busy healing others to stop him.

He quickly threw the card and jumped through the portal.

Issei's eyes widened. Normally he would have arrived into the clubroom, but instead, he stood on a pile of rubble. Not just the clubroom, but the entire old school building was gone.

Two people were flying into the air throwing attacks back and forth. Rias-senpai used her Power of Destruction which formed red orbs with black mixed in. Whenever she missed, holes were smashed into the ground.

Kokabiel used his huge spears of light. When the yellow spears hit the ground, bigger explosions sounded which created craters in the ground or destroyed entire walls. However, it was clear Kokabiel was holding back.

He was less strong than he wanted them to believe. His attack on Xenovia was not something he could keep up for extended periods. It was a display. The spears he used now were only half the size and took over ten seconds to form.

He looked at his hands. His Promotion had been cancelled when he jumped through the portal.

"Promotion,  _Rook_."

Nothing happened.

Fuck.

Of course. Since this was a Game Field, they would only let him Promote if he reached the enemy base.

He looked back up. Neither of them had spotted him yet.

Issei started running. Most of the new school building still stood so he might be able to-

"Ise, watch out," Rias-senpai yelled.

He looked back. A light spear was racing for him.

Oh crap.

He could only barely dodge. The force of the explosion threw him off his feet on the floor. The air was pushed out of his lungs.

Issei scrambled back to his feet.

Kokabiel had tried to attack again, but Rias-senpai was attacking him with renewed vigor. The fallen angel had no time to aim as he had to dodge all her attacks.

He had to reach the old school building.

Issei started running again at full speed. His leg was bleeding heavily, but he ignored it.

Without Promotion, there was no way he could help her.

Only twenty steps away now.

Kokabiel landed in front of him which forced Issei to a stop.

Rias-senpai landed next to him. She was out of breath completely. The fight must have worn her out a lot. Not to mention she had kept up the barrier first.

While dodging, Kokabiel had moved back until he could land to block Issei's path.

The fallen angel smiled. "Seems like this is it." He created a new lightspear.

Rias-senpai raised her hand as well, but nothing happened.

Kokabiel laughed. "Out of juice, are we? And with a Pawn who can't even fly."

They were screwed. From this distance, neither of them would be able to dodge. And if Rias-senpai couldn't counterattack anymore…

Her wings dismissed. She really had depleted her stamina completely.

Quite suddenly, she took his hand. "I'm glad you're here with me," she spoke softly. Then, she turned to Kokabiel. "My brother will kill you a million times over for this."

Kokabiel laughed. "I'm looking forward to it. This time, the war is going to continue until we have a winner." The spear finished forming.

It couldn't be over yet. There had to be something he could…

Wait, of course.

Issei put his free hand in his pocket and took something out.

Kokabiel narrowed his eyes. "What are you-"

The card surged through the air. It glowed yellow for a moment and then transformed into a lightning bolt.

Issei didn't wait to see the result but dragged Rias with him.

Behind him, he heard an explosion, but it was distant. His attack had caused Kokabiel to miss by a wide margin.

They pushed open the door and ran inside the new school building, still holding hands for some reason.

"We need to get to the principal's office," Issei said. "If I can Promote-"

The doors were blasted from their hinges.

"We'll never make it," Rias-senpai said.  
"I can't take him without Promotion."

He had two cards left, but those wouldn't do.

Kokabiel was already creating another lightspear.

They were only halfway the hallway. There was nowhere to hide.

Issei raised his hand.

He remembered Akeno's lessons.

His magic bubbled up inside of him.

No, not  _his_  magic. Only a tiny part actually belonged to him. Six different auras.

The blue aura took over.

Issei fired his spell.

A wave of blueish energy burst out. It formed a spear.

Kokabiel threw his own spear and both collided.

An explosion sounded. When the smoke cleared, they could see a large crater. Kokabiel had been thrown back since the explosion was much closer to him.

"Ise," Rias-senpai yelled. "You have to stop."

"I can't."

He summoned his aura again.

Issei couldn't see it, but a part of his hair had turned white and his eyes flickered red.

Kokabiel stood back up as another spear surged through the air. It missed him by a few steps.

What was Issei doing?

She understood it when he launched his third spear.

It once again hit the wall blowing another hole.

With this support taken away, the entire building groaned.

Kokabiel seemed to realise this as well. He tried running away, but it was too late for him.

With a loud sound, the building started collapsing.

Rias grabbed his hand and dragged Issei with her.

The entire west wing collapsed.

Since the collapse had started at Kokabiel's side, they had more time to get to safety.

When it became obvious no more walls would collapse behind them, they stopped.

Issei fell down on the ground.

His hair was now completely white and his eyes glowed faintly red.

"Ise? Stay with me."

She turned him around and put her hand on his throat.

No heartbeat.

"No no no, you can't die. You can't leave me alone in this world."

She placed her hands on his chest and started pumping.

Instructions surfaced in the back of her mind.

She faintly hummed  _Stayin' Alive_  as was recommended by… who was it again?

"28… 29… 30."

Okay, and now…

Rias swallowed hard.

 _I'm just doing this to keep him alive_ , she reminded herself.

She pinched his nose and pressed her lips on his to blow in air.

It was two times, right?

She did it again, but there was still no response.

"Come on."

As she continued to perform CPR, her hope diminished more and more. None of it was working.

Wait…

She rummaged his pockets and found another card.

Could this work?

This was insane, right? Something like this could never work. Technically defibrillation did work with electric shocks, but…

She took a deep breath and threw the card.

The spell activated.

Issei's body was lifted momentarily from the electricity and then it sank back down.

She almost didn't dare testing, but her hands reached out on their own to touch his wrist.

It took her a few seconds to confirm. She wasn't making this up. It was faint, but she was certain it was there. A heartbeat.

"Will you…" she swallowed hard. "Will you just call me 'Rias' from now on?"

He didn't reply, but that was okay.


	23. Chapter 23

Issei opened his eyes. A lovely redhead in skimpy outfit was staring at him from the wall.

His brain was a bit fuzzy, but after a few seconds, he recognised it as a poster. The poster that hang on his own wall above his desk.

"Good morning, Ise," a voice said.

He turned to the side. Another redhead was sitting cross-legged on his bed, in Kuoh Academy uniform.

He pushed himself up on his elbows. "Rias-senpai?"

Something strange flickered in her eyes, but he didn't notice.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"Alright, I guess." His thoughts were getting faster. He remembered the fight. "How long have I been out?"

"It's Friday morning now."

Friday. If he remembered well the fight had been on Wednesday evening, so he had been unconscious for more than a full day.

"You really made us worry," she said.

"Did we win?"

"We wouldn't be having this conversation if we didn't," Rias-senpai said. "By the time Kokabiel had dug himself out of that mess, reinforcements had arrived. He surrendered pretty fast."

"And the others?"

"Managed to hold off Cerberus. Asia has already healed everyone. No one has any lasting damage, except…"

"Is something wrong with me?"

He felt tired, but his body didn't hurt much. He just felt a little stiff.

She handed him a small mirror.

Was something wrong with his…

What the…

His hair was different. A small fringe had turned grayish white.

Issei touched it. He tried wiping off the dust, but a part of him already knew it wasn't dust at all. This little fringe had actually changed color.

His hairstyle was now similar to Xenovia, a main color and a small secondary color. The fringe was even in roughly the same place.

"This doesn't look good," Issei said.

"Do you feel normal?" Rias-senpai asked.

"Yes. Strangely. What happened?"

Rias-senpai let out a sigh of relief. "So it worked."

"What worked?"

"You used magic without Promotion to defeat Kokabiel. Your hair turned completely white and your eyes glowed red. And then your heart stopped."

"That doesn't sound good."

"I managed to restart your heart and I had Akeno suck out the excess power. Your eyes and hair went back to normal, safe for that little fringe."

"This is Freed's color," he said.

She nodded. "You have to be very careful, Ise. If you notice strange things, mention them immediately. I have a suspicion it will grow if Akeno doesn't suck it out periodically."

"So uhm, how exactly does she 'suck it out'?"

Rias-senpai smiled. "Looks like you're back to normal."

"Well that's not really an answer," he complained.

"We'll try our best to find what your powers do, Issei," Rias-senpai said, serious again. "But whatever it is, it's unprecedented, and very dangerous."

"But what if we get attacked again?"

"If you really have to use your powers, try to Promote first, since that seems to work fine. If you don't, it looks like your power uses you instead of the other way around."

"Did we get any leads?"

"Nothing. The Holy Sword user is dead, Freed escaped and Valper is dead too. We only have a name: William. But I'll doubt that will get us very far."

"And what about Kokabiel?" he asked.

"We were forced to hand him over to the fallen angels for trial. Azazel has sentenced him to eternal imprisonment in ice."

"In ice?"

She showed him a magic projection.

It was Kokabiel, his face twisted into a scream. He was indeed encased in a huge block of ice.

"Grigori sends their formal apologies," she added. "As does the church. They are very grateful we returned the pieces of Excalibur."

"So Irina and Xenovia have gone back home?"

"Irina has. But Xenovia…"

"What about her?"

"The knowledge that God died seems to have broken her fate. She doesn't want to work for the church anymore."

"I see."

"So she has become my Knight," Rias-senpai added casually.

"She  _what_?"

"Don't ask me to explain her reasoning. She offered and I accepted. A Holy Sword user is  _extremely_  valuable for a devil, given the devil weakness for holy weapons."

"I see. And what about the church? They didn't complain about a former warrior joining you?"

"Not after we handed them Excalibur. And while we're on the topic of additions. Asia has become my Bishop as well. You missed the ritual, sadly."

She must be happy about that.

"Speaking of Asia, where is she now?"

Rias nodded to the other side of his bed.

He turned around.

Both Ruruko and Asia were sitting cross legged on the other side of his bed. They had both fallen asleep. Ruruko had put her head on Asia's shoulder and Asia had wrapped her arm around her and then fallen asleep as well. Someone had put a blanket over their shoulders. Both were in uniform.

"They hardly left your side," Rias-senpai said as she stood up. "I'll leave you to it. See you tonight."

"Tonight?"

"We're going to karaoke with everyone. I'll send you the address later."

"Oh."

"Don't be late," she said before leaving his room.

Issei stretched out. His muscles were a bit stiff, but overall he was in great shape for someone who had nearly died (again).

He gently shook the girls awake.

Asia's eyes fluttered open. "Ise-senpai?"

"Senpai?"

Ruruko jumped forward into his arms with such enthusiasm he fell back on the bed, with her on top of him.

"Hey," Asia complained. She crawled over and latched onto his arm.

"Calm down girls," Issei said.

"You made us worry," Ruruko complained.

"Sorry. But Rias-senpai did need my help. She was in a pretty tough spot."

"Still calling her Senpai after kissing her?" Ruruko asked. She got off him and moved back to a more conservative position.

He narrowed his eyes. "We didn't kiss."

"She performed CPR on you," Asia explained. "Your heart stopped after you overused your powers."

"Oh, well that clearly doesn't count. I was unconscious."

"That totally counts," Ruruko argued. "When is she going to come live with us?"

"Come on," Issei said. "We have to get ready for karaoke."

Neither of them pointed out that was still hours away. Or mentioned it was Friday and they should go to school.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," he said. Who could that be?

A girl entered.

"Xenovia?"

She looked very weird dressed in Kuoh Academy uniform.

"I would like to speak with Asia Argento," Xenovia said, quite formal.

"Go ahead," Asia said. "I have no secrets for these two."

Xenovia nodded. "I want to apologize to you. If God is dead than there was never any divine judgement. You must have been banished because your power upset the delicate balance of the System. It had nothing to do with you and as such, it was wrong of me to judge you."

Asia nodded. "Okay."

"There is something else," Xenovia said.

"Hm?"

"Do you still pray, Asia Argento?"

"You must know that devils can't pray," Asia said. "They take damage if they do."

"Yes, about that. I have contacted Heaven and Michael-sama will allow us an exception."

Asia's eyes widened. "You… wow. Thank you, Xenovia."

"Why did you join Rias' peerage?" Issei interrupted them.

"My purpose was to serve the Lord. But now that I learned about his demise, that purpose is void. The church has nothing more to offer me. I think I can find a new purpose here."

She sounded very calm about it. As if this was a minor inconvenience.

"Is that so?"

This was very strange. Why would a girl like Xenovia abandon everything she knew for something like this?

"You are a fascinating person, Hyoudou Issei," she said. "You saved me multiple times despite not having any reason to do so. Quite the contrary in fact."

"You can just call me Ise, like everyone else."

She nodded. "I know it's too soon, Ise-san, but I hope you could one day forgive me for my unacceptable behaviour against Asia and you."

She sounded very genuine.

Xenovia turned back to Asia. "Asia Argento."

"Please, just Asia," she insisted.

"Asia. I know you're probably still mad at me, but-"

"No." Asia stood up and walked up to her. "I thought I would never be able to pray again, but you made it possible."

"But I said so many bad things."

"You had every reason to believe I deserved being banished."

"Still, I should have listened to your side of the story."

"Your sins are already forgiven, Xenovia. Don't you remember?"

He thought back to their fight. Asia had technically said something like that, but the intend was entirely different. She had deliberately 'forgiven' Xenovia to show that she was a real believer. Basically she had used it to call Xenovia a hypocrite since she didn't live up to the principles of her own religion.

Xenovia nodded. "In that case, I have a request for you."

"What is it?"

She hesitated. Her eyes looked at Issei and then back to Asia.

The blue haired girl leaned in and whispered something in Asia's ear.

"Oh," Asia said. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm certain. Could you help me?"

"I think I can arrange that. Come on, I know a quiet place where we can work."

They left together.

"I'll see you tonight, Ise-senpai," Asia said before closing the door.

"Well that was weird," Ruruko said.

"Yeah, I did not expect Xenovia to do a 180-turn like that. Or Asia to forgive her so easily." Or to see her go with Xenovia so readily.

"I think Asia is just happy she has a fellow church girl to talk with."

"Maybe. But what about Xenovia?"

"I guess it makes some sense. Imagine you found out the very foundations of your life were a lie? They  _used_  her without telling her anything. She found out she has been fighting all her life for someone who's been dead for years. So it's not that surprising she turns her back on them."

"But to become a devil like that. That's a bit extreme."

"I think she likes you," Ruruko said.

"Sure, sure," he said, unconvinced.

"In any case," Ruruko said as she moved closer to him. "It looks like I have you all to myself now."

"It looks that way indeed."

Her lips captured his.

There was a hunger in them as she pushed on his back and got on top of him.

Her hands sneaked down and fumbled with his zipper.

He gently broke off the kiss.

"Calm down, Ruruko-chan."

"Sorry. It's just uhm… I really thought I'd lost you. You broke off contact and ran after Rias-senpai while we battled Cerberus. I really feared I would never see you back."

"I'm not going anywhere, Ruruko," he assured her. He guided her back upright.

"I know." She was quiet for a moment. "Is something wrong, Senpai?"

"No. Why would anything be wrong?"

"Well, I would understand that you are worried and want me to slow down. But you wanted me to  _stop_."

He sighed. "You're right. There is something that worries me."

"Is it Asia-chan? She did act strange."

"No, I trust her completely. It's…" he touched his hair.

"That little fringe huh?"

"I've changed, Ruruko. I can't deny it anymore, I'm a different person now."

"That doesn't have to be a bad thing. In fact I like many of your changes. You're much smarter now."

"But what if I change into something I don't like? I could be drifting off and-"

"I won't let you, Senpai," she cut him off. "If you become cruel or unreasonable, I'll tell you. But I'm not seeing anything like that."

"Still, this… this power might change me."

"Resist it, Senpai," she said. "It's your power.  _Dominate_  it."

"I'm not sure if I can."

"Oh come on, Senpai. You have little trouble dominating me and Asia. Is this little Bloodbound anything compared to us?"

"Bloodbound?"

"Well you should name your power, right?"

He chuckled. "When did you come up with that?"

"A while ago."

"You're right," he decided. "I can control this. I will not let it consume me."

"Good." She stood up and walked to his desk.

"Ruruko-chan?"

She returned with a pair of scissors.

"What are you going to do?" he asked.  
"I'm gonna cut off that little fringe," she said. "Or do you want to keep it?"

"No, cut it off please."

Apart from the fact that it would be tough to explain, he didn't want a reminder of Freed on top of his head.

She carefully cut off a piece of his hair. Then she threw it in the garbage can and put the scissors back on his desk.

"There," she said as she moved her fingers through his hair. "You're my Ise-senpai again."

"So, where were we?"

She bit her lip. "I believe I was on top of you."

"You're remembering that wrongly I think." He pushed her down and got on top of her. "Wasn't it more like this?" he asked as he pinned her hands above her head.

"Yes," she said. Her face turned red. "I must be remembering it wrongly. It was definitely like this."

He kissed her again. His free hand moved up to touch her breasts. Since she didn't wear a bra, this was rather easy. She melted into his touch. Her tongue prodded against his lips. After some tongue-kissing, he moved down to kiss her neck.

"Senpai," she said, slightly out of breath.

"Hm?"

"Shouldn't you take a shower first?"

"Oh, right. Yeah, I should."

His clothes were still dirty with blood and dirt from the fight.

"Do you need help taking a shower?" she asked.

"I think I do," he said. "I'm heavily wounded, I can't do it by myself."

She chuckled. "Come on, Senpai, I'll assist you."

They got up.

He opened his closet and picked some casual clothes to put on after his shower before following Ruruko-chan to the bathroom.

In there, he checked himself in the bathroom mirror. His clothes were ripped and dirty in a few places. But at least his hair had gone back to normal now.

Along his neck, there were some vague marks. Hickeys from Ruruko and Asia. There were enough down to remain mostly hidden underneath his shirt.

But he also noticed he had changed physically. His chest was broader and more toned. His training was really paying off. He took off his shirt to see it more clearly.

Yeah, no mistake, there were definitely more muscles there.

Ruruko undressed as well. She had grown more confident in getting naked.

"Now Asia can't interrupt us," Ruruko said as she turned on the shower.

"Well, yes, but… that doesn't mean we should do things behind her back."

"But Asia insisted we shouldn't hold back," Ruruko said.

"But are you really ready to take things further, Ruruko-chan?"

She was taken back by that. "That…" she turned red. "That is not important."

"It is important to me."

"I… I don't know, Senpai. How do you know you're ready for anything?"

He shrugged. "No idea. But if we really are serious about doing…  _that_ , I feel like we should at least talk to Asia about it. We can't shut her out."

She would already feel really bad if he didn't pick her for his first time, but if he didn't even  _discuss_ it with her, he might as well break things off right now.

"Yeah, you're right, we shouldn't leave her out."

They got under the shower. The warm water felt good on his skin.

Ruruko carefully washed all the blood and dirt from him. When she was done, they switched.

"Ye, Senpai," she said. "Are you really gonna start there?"

"Most important part," he commented as he soaped up her chest.

"Pervert," she accused him, although he could tell she didn't mind much.

He moved down to her belly.

"You know," Ruruko said. "In many movies the couple kisses in the rain."

"That sounds very impractical."

She turned around.

"You think so?"

"Fine fine."

He leaned down and kissed her.

They both chuckled. It was indeed very unpractical.

They finished their shower some time later.

They dried themselves off. He got dressed into jeans with a casual shirt and hoodie.

"What are you going to wear?" Issei asked. It was only now he realised she had very little to wear to karaoke. They hadn't gotten around to shopping yet with everything that had happened.

She smiled. "Close your eyes, Senpai."

"Uhm, okay." He did as she said.

He heard her leave and return shortly after.

"Alright, you can look now."

Issei opened his eyes.

"Wow."

"Do you like it?" she asked. She spun around so he could see everything.

Ruruko was wearing a red summer dress which fell to halfway her thighs. Thin straps kept it up and there was a V-cut which exposed just enough cleavage to still be okay. Her breasts looked bigger than usual in it, but maybe that was just the design of the dress. It was very tight around her belly.

"Where did you get that?" he asked.  
"Well, the Sitri Game Field is an identical copy of the mall. All the items in there are exact replicas."

"I see." So they could take out those clothes?

"Asia and I were talking about it while you were out. We wanted to surprise you when you woke up."

"Well I like it."

"Thanks."

He noticed there was a second set of red straps going up. "Are you wearing a bra?"

"Asia showed me how to put them on."

"Oh."

"Don't worry Senpai," she said. "I'll show you how it looks like tonight. Besides, she only taught me how to put them on so I'll need your help to take it off again."

"I'll gladly assist you then."

She smiled.

"So Asia has gone to get more clothes as well?" he asked.

"You'll find that out tonight, Senpai," she said. "Not gonna spoil it."

"Not even a little?"

"Nope."

"Okay. So uhm, why do you suddenly wear a bra? You were pretty keen on not wearing them before."

"I know," she sighed. "My breasts hardly need support. But… I'm a girl, I should be wearing them and I should learn how to put them on. This makes me feel more like a teenage girl. And perhaps my chest will still grow in the future."

"Yeah, maybe."

"And…"

"Hm?"

"Nothing." She had suddenly turned bright red. "So, where do you think Asia is?"

"I don't know. I guess she'll contact us if she is in trouble."

A silence fell.

"So, what will we do now?" he asked. "Karaoke is still hours away, and I don't really want to go to school today."

"Yeah, me neither. I do have a suggestion, if you don't mind." She walked to his desk and picked up a cardboard box.

"Hey, what are you-"

"How about this?" She pulled out something.

"Bikini Warriors 3?"

"Yeah, want to play it?"

As the name suggested, Bikini Warriors was a game where you fought with girls dressed in bikinis. As you progressed into the game, you could unlock more characters and different outfits which got progressively skimpier. The final boss gave you the option to make them go topless.

"Not good?" she asked. "You want something more explicit?"

"No, it's fine. But I should warn you, I'm pretty good at that game."

"Oh, is that so? We'll see about that."

She walked to his game system and turned it on. When it had booted up, she inserted the disc.

"Did you ever play this game before?" he asked as he picked up the controllers.

"No, but how hard can it be?"

He handed her the second controller.

With his own controller, he started a new game. The game asked the difficulty.

"Legendary sounds about right," she said.

"Are you sure? For beginners it's-"

"What's wrong, Senpai? Scared?"

"No." He selected 'legendary'.

They got into the character select screen. Only four characters were available right now: Fighter, Mage, Paladin and Dark Elf. The rest had to be unlocked by playing the game.

"Okay," he said. "Each character has different advantages and-"

"That one looks cute," she said as she selected the purple haired mage. It was a small timid girl (with a small chest), a bit like Ruruko-chan herself.

"Uhm, okay then." He picked the blonde Paladin.

The game started.

"This is the tutorial," he said. "You-"

She pushed a button to skip it.

"That's not how you play a game at all," he argued.

"How hard can it be?" She pressed various buttons on her controller.

Her Mage executed a perfect combo. A huge fireball raced for his Paladin. When it hit him, his HP reached zero instantly.

[You lost,] was displayed in huge letters on the screen.

"What?" Ruruko said. "What stupid game is this?"

"We're in co-op," he explained. "You're not supposed to kill me."

"How lame. Then how can I win?"

"I don't know, by killing more enemies I guess."

"Enemies?"

"If you had waited a few seconds instead of killing me straight away you would have seen skeletons appear. We're supposed to fight our way through to the checkpoint."

"Oh, well why didn't you just say that?"

He sighed.

"Hey, I have an idea? How about the loser has to strip?"

"No thanks." He had a slight suspicion he would lose even with all his experience.

"Ye, you're no fun."

"How about you strip regardless of who wins?"

"Pervert."

They continued playing like that and quickly lost track of the time. Halfway, they stopped to cook something together (it was mostly Ruruko who did the cooking).

And then, suddenly, it was evening.

"We're gonna be late," Ruruko said.

"We'll be fine. No one is ever on time for these things."

They turned off the game system and went downstairs.

"Where do you think Asia is?" Ruruko asked as she put on her shoes.

"She sent me a text she would go to karaoke by herself. She's busy with something."

"Okay."

He took his bike out of the garage. Ruruko sat behind him. As usual, she held him tighter than was necessary.

Issei used his smartphone to give him the route to the address Rias-senpai had sent him. It seemed to be somewhere in downtown Kuoh, only a few kilometers away.

After a short ride, they arrived at a large building.

Rias-senpai and Akeno were already there, waiting outside.

Both had dressed up. Rias-senpai in a reasonably formal black cocktail dress with red accents. Akeno on the other hand had a solid black dress that left a lot less to the imagination. It showed off a substantial amount of cleavage and it stopped at her thighs. If she wasn't careful, he would see her panties if she bend over or sat down. In the middle of her cleavage glistened a silver pendant in the shape of a ring, as if she wanted to draw even more attention there.

"Ise-kun." Akeno pulled him into a hug. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Hey, Akeno. Are you alright?"

"I'm good."

"You look good, Nimura-san," Rias-senpai said to Ruruko.

"Thanks, Rias-senpai."

Akeno released him.

"The others should be here soon," she said.

Issei nodded. "Can I ask you something, Rias-senpai?"

"Sure."

"Is Ray-... Yuuma-chan coming as well?"

"Well," Rias-senpai said. "Azazel took her away. Since she belongs to the Grigori organisation, he felt responsible for her."

"I see." He didn't like that. But at least Rias-senpai hadn't killed her or something.

"He did assure us we could visit her whenever we wanted. In fact, he insisted  _you_ would come check on her."

"Me? Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Absolutely. First of all, as the leader of the fallen angels, Azazel might know more about Kokabiel's superior or the nature of your powers. He might let something slip which could help us. And secondly, with the strained relationship between the factions, it's a good idea to talk more with the fallen angels. We don't want another war and the more you can convince a top fallen angel of that, the better for us."

"Right. That makes sense."

"And he said he needed an opponent to play games against."

"Games?"

"He mentioned something called 'Bikini Warriors 2'."

"Never heard of it," Issei lied. He avoided Ruruko's gaze.

"Hey, Hyoudou-kun."

He turned around.

Saji-kun was walking towards them. Sona-senpai and Tsubaki-senpai were with him. Sona-senpai in a conservative blue dress, and Tsubaki-senpai in a black skirt and a dark green cardigan.

"We should get inside," Rias-senpai suggested. "It's getting quite crowded here on the street."

She unlocked the door with a key from her purse. They all followed her inside.

"How are things going with Sona-senpai?" he asked Saji-kun.

"Alright. She accepted my apology. Ruruko-chan's extensive report on the fight with that Holy Sword user may have played a role in it."

"I reported the truth," Ruruko said. "You were quite impressive."

"Thanks."

Rias-senpai turned on the lights.

It was really big inside. Bigger than he had expected. There were about a dozen low tables with red couches around them. Bowls filled with chips or peanuts stood on them.

Against the wall were microphones and sound systems. There was a also a huge bar. There was no personnel anywhere in sight.

"It's just for us tonight," Rias-senpai said.

"Just how many people are we expecting?" This place could at least fit forty people.

"A few."

Not long after, Kiba arrived with Koneko-chan.

"You know," Akeno said. "Kiba-kun is a really great singer."

"Oh, of course. I didn't expect anything else from Prince Charming."

"We could do a duet between the males of the Gremory peerage," Kiba offered.

"Just wait and see," Issei said. "I'll totally beat you on the Dragonball theme song."

Kiba smiled. "Looking forward to it."

More and more people started arriving. Apart from the rest of the Sitri peerage, there were also Kiryuu, Motohama and Matsuda. But the person he was looking for still wasn't here.

He was started to get a bit worried. Everyone else was here already.

Just as he considered calling her, they arrived.

For a moment, he thought he was imagining things, but this view was without a doubt real.

Asia looked gorgeous. She had put on a white dress that was quite modest, but still revealing enough to make him stare. Her hair was put up in a complicated bun with a white rose sticking out of it. Little heart shaped earrings dangled from her earlobes. She had put some makeup as well since her green eyes stood out more than usual. Asia also seemed taller, but he soon found she was wearing heels.

But it was Xenovia who captured the most attention. Not because she was more beautiful, but because it clashed even more with her usual self.

She had put on a black dress and dark sneakers. Like Asia, she wore makeup and two silver earrings dangled from her earlobes. But her hair had changed the most. It was much longer than usual, easily falling down to her shoulder blades. Several green meshes ran through it. Above her right ear was a black rose fitted on a clipper.

"Everyone," Asia said. "This is Xen-chan."

"Hey," Xenovia said.

They were all stunned for a few seconds before Matsuda and Motohama stumbled over their own feet to introduce themselves.

"Let's get this party started then," Rias-senpai said. "Sona, if you'll do me the pleasure."

Sona-senpai blushed bright red, but accepted the microphone. They started signing. Both were surprisingly good at it.

There were plenty of drinks behind the bar, although he noticed that somehow, there was no alcohol in sight.

When they got hungry, they ordered pizza.

It was after the pizza when he finally found Xenovia alone.

"So," he said. "Xen-chan?"

"As I said," Xenovia said. "I want to find a new purpose."

"And this new look is a part of that?"

"I'm a girl, Ise. It's time to start acting like one. I've been a warrior for far too long."

"I see."

"The original reason I cut my hair short is for battles," she revealed. "I had to protect Irina from danger and long hair would be in the way. But Irina is gone now, back to Europe."

"Is she okay?"

"Her faith has always been stronger than mine, but the news did hit her very hard. I hope she'll be fine."

"I'm sure she will be."

"Are you dissatisfied with my new look?" she asked.

"No, not at all. Quite the contrary in fact."

She smiled. "Thanks. I have to find a new purpose, and it can't be battling alone. I've found that fighting all the time gives me a hollow feeling. So I want to try something else. Something more suitable for a teenage girl."

"So, are you gonna try and get a boyfriend as well then?"

She looked at him. "There is someone who interests me," she said slowly.

"You should totally go for it."

"I'm not sure how he feels about me. I think he might hate me."

"I don't think anyone could really hate you," Issei encouraged her.

Someone cleared his throat.

He looked. "Oh, Asia-chan."

"Ye, Ise-senpai." She took his arm. "Pay some attention to your girlfriends."

"Girlfriends?" Xenovia looked confused.

"That's right," Ruruko said. She took Issei's other arm. "Girlfriends."

Xenovia blinked a few times. "I see. So you're having polyamorous relationships?"

"Indeed," Issei confirmed.

"Interesting."

Xenovia walked away, seemingly lost in thoughts.

"She totally likes you," Ruruko said.

"Not  _every_ girl likes me," he argued.

"Sure, sure."

"Hey, Senpai," Asia said. "Which one of us has the best outfit?"

"We're not gonna go down that route."

"Oh come on," Ruruko pushed him.

"Fine. It's clearly Akeno. Just look at that cleavage of her."

Asia sighed. "Should have known this was an uphill battle."

"Come on," Issei said. "Let's sing a du-... no wait, a triplet."

Their karaoke lasted until deep in the night (everyone turned out to be better at singing than him, but he won in enthusiasm).

Eventually, people started going back home. He noticed Motohama offered to walk Kiryuu home and she accepted. Seems like there was something going on between those two.

Matsuda went home by himself however. Most of the Sitri peerage left soon after along with Kiba and Koneko.

"Are we going home as well, Ise-senpai?" Asia asked. "I'm pretty tired. And everyone else is leaving."

"Hold on, I still have to check something."

He walked to Xenovia.

"Xeno-… Xen-chan?"

"Yeah?"

"Where are you living now?"

"Don't worry about me, Ise-san. Buchou arranged an apartment for me."

"You won't be lonely out there?"

"Kiba-san has the apartment below me," she said.

"Okay. well, if you're ever lonely or you have a problem, you're welcome to come to my house."

"You're not angry at me?"

"I've been thinking. You really have changed. You apologised for your mistakes and if you think about it, no real harm was done. If Asia-chan forgives you, so should I. Who am I to be angry in her place?"

"Thanks, Ise-san."

"But if you harm her ever again, I won't hold back," he warned her.

"I won't, Ise-san."

"Just Ise is fine."

"Can I call you Ise-kun then?"

"Sure."

"Thanks."

"Why don't you come live with us?" Asia suggested. She was suddenly standing next to him.

"Asia."

"No," Xen-chan said. "It's too soon. But thanks, Asia-chan. That means a lot to me."

She gave a small bow and left them.

"She totally likes you," Asia said.

"You seem to like her as well," he noted. "Given she wanted to kill you."

"She apologised for her sins," Asia said simply.  
"Right, that's how Christianity works, I forgot," he said, slightly sarcastic.

"And she allowed me to pray. Do you know how much that means for me, Ise?"

"I would have figured out a way to accomplish that as well," he argued.

"Oh really? How would you have done it then?"

"For you, I would have fought God himself."

She turned red. "Ye, Ise, that's not fair."

"I'm serious."

"I know."

"By the way, you look gorgeous in that dress."

She blushed even harder. "I do?"

Ruruko joined them. "Are we going home?"

"Yeah, let's go home."

They said goodbye to Rias-senpai and Akeno (these were the only two people left).

"It'll be tough to walk home on these heels," Asia said.

"To be honest, I'm surprised you can walk in them at all. Have you ever worn heels before?"

"No."

"Don't your feet hurt?"

"It's fine," she said.

"How about the two of you use a magic circle and I'll take my bike home?"

"Yeah, that's okay," Ruruko said. "We'll see you at home then."

Asia summoned a circle for them and they teleported away.

He went outside with Akeno and Rias-senpai.

Their King locked the door behind her, apparently not concerned with clean-up.

"That was fun," she said.

"Yeah."

"See you later, Ise-kun," Rias-senpai said. She leaned in to give him a kiss on his cheek.

"Until next time, Ise-kun," Akeno said. She hugged him. He felt her large chest pressing against him. He was certain she was doing this on purpose.

Both girls used a magic circle to go home.

He got on his bike and went home as well. Without the extra weight, he could go really fast.

Issei arrived home rather quickly. After putting his bike back in the garage and taking off his shoes, he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

"It's not fair," he heard Ruruko say. "How do you even know how to put on makeup?"

"You'd be surprised at how much you can learn using the internet in one afternoon," Asia said.

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

He entered.

"Oh, hey Senpai," Ruruko said.

Asia said nothing.

"So, Asia," Issei said. "Internet huh?"

She was suddenly very focused on taking the flower out of her hair.

"Alright," she caved in eventually. "I called Rias-senpai. Happy now?"

"That's cheating," Ruruko said.

"And what would you call your little midnight shopping trip, Ruruko-chan?"

Ruruko puffed up her cheeks.

"That's quite enough," Issei said. "Both of you."

"But-" Ruruko said.

"I could go sleep alone on the couch if you keep acting like that," he warned her.

"No," she took his hand. "Stay, please."

Ruruko-chan looked at Asia. "Sorry, Asia-chan. I know you didn't do it to hurt me."

"Of course not," Asia said. "Do you want me to show you what Rias-senpai taught me?"

Ruruko nodded. "Thanks, Asia-chan."

He let out his breath. Crisis averted.

Asia had finished removing her makeup and returned to her room, followed by Ruruko-chan.

When he returned to his room, he found them both sitting on his bed.

"Senpai," Ruruko said. She turned her back towards him. "I think I'll need some help."

"Me too," Asia said.

"Right."

He sat down on the bed. He started with Asia. As he pulled the zipper of her dress down, her back was slowly revealed. She was really beautiful.

Asia pushed the dress over her arms. She had to stand up to step out of it. While she carefully folded it and put it on his desk, he helped Ruruko out of her dress.

Ruruko followed Asia's example and put her dress on his desk. Like Asia, she had matching underwear, only hers was red instead of white. Both were very well designed however, with delicate lace patterns.

Ruruko knelt down on his bed with her back towards him. "Not yet done, Senpai."

He unhooked her red bra.

"Thanks," she said.

"Not yet done."

She turned slightly red, but allowed him to take off her panties as well.

Completely naked, she got under the covers.

"Pervert," she accused him. She pulled up the covers to her chin.

"Look who's talking."

"Ise-senpai," Asia said. "Me too."

He helped her take off her underwear. Her face was quite flushed when he took off her panties. Asia got under the covers much more quickly.

He stripped to his boxers and got in bed as well, between the two of them.

"Hey, no fair," Ruruko said. "Why aren't you naked?"

"Well, life isn't fair," he pointed out.

"Well, if you don't take them off, then we'll have to help you."

"Hey."

Even though he was much stronger than both of them, he was unable to hold them off (not that he was trying that hard).

"Happy now?" he asked when he was naked too.

"Very happy," Ruruko said. She laid on her side, her breasts pushing against him.

Asia put her head down as well. "Good night, Senpai."

Satisfied, he closed his eyes.

It was remarkable easy to fall asleep when you had two dreamgirls lying next to you.


	24. Chapter 24

" _A colossal failure. Valper and Brian dead, Kokabiel captured and Excalibur lost. How dare you even return here?"_

" _I have some news."_

" _It better be-"_

" _God is dead."_

_A silence fell. "That's impossible."_

" _Kiba Yuuto created a Holy-Demonic sword."_

" _Hm. That does indeed change the situation."_

" _What do we do now?"_

" _Change of plans. We have to find it. If the balance is disturbed, it can be reforged."_

" _The Japanese forge was destroyed."_

" _But there are two more. We just have to find one. And if we do, no one will be able to stop us. Not even_ him _."_

Issei's eyes shot open.

"Senpai? Are you alright?"

He noticed he was sitting upright in his bed. Cold sweat covered his body.

Ruruko had woken up, but Asia was still asleep.

"It's fine, Ruruko-chan. I just had a weird dream. Sorry for waking you."

"You've been having those a lot," she pointed out.

"It's just the fight."

"Senpai, it's been  _weeks_  since the fight with Kokabiel. You can't be stressed out anymore. That fight is over."

"I don't know what's going on either," he admitted. "I've been having strange dreams ever since the fight. I don't think this is over, Ruruko."

He tried to sound casual. In fact, he had been having strange dreams every night since that fight.

"It's your powers," she said. "It's less worse when Akeno-senpai has just sucked it out. We should let her do it more often."

"Every three days is fine," Issei said. Although he quite liked the sensation, Akeno had grown more and more seductive every time she did it.

He laid back down.

"What was your dream about?" Ruruko kept pressing.

"I don't remember very well, but I think Freed was there, and another man."

"Don't use your powers again, Senpai. It's dangerous."

"I know that. Sorry for making you worry."

"Have you told Rias-senpai about your nightmares?"

"She can't do anything about it," he said. "No one knows what this power is, it's a dead end. Now go back to sleep."

"I can't. Not like this." She shrugged against his body.

"Fine, fine."

He rolled to his side and wrapped an arm around her. Ruruko liked spooning a lot.

"Happy now?"

"Almost," she said.

With a sigh, he moved his hand up to touch her breast. Since she only wore a thin nightgown and panties, so there was little in the way of his touch.

"Better," she said. With a satisfied look, she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

"Little deviant," he mumbled as he fell back asleep himself.

His nightmares didn't return.

Asia woke him up a few hours later.

"Senpai? Ise-senpai?"

He opened his eyes. He heard the mechanical sound of the shutters opening. The transparent curtains around his bed did little to block the sunlight.

"Morning," Asia said.

He hid beneath his blanket.

"Too early," Issei complained.

"Come on, Senpai," Ruruko said. She pulled back the blanket. "We have a busy day ahead."

"We do?"

"Ye," Ruruko said. "Did you forget what the Student Council asked you?"

"They wanted us to clean the pool, what about it?" That wouldn't happen until midday.

"And we can use it first when we're done," Asia added.

"So?"

"So, Senpai," Ruruko said. "You have to take us shopping for bikinis."

"You mean you girls won't swim naked?"

He evaded the pillow Asia threw at him.

"Unless you have a school swimsuit fetish," Ruruko said. "Which, given your extensive collection, wouldn't surprise me, I suggest we go to the mall today."

Luckily, his porn stash was now locked away from their prying eyes.

Rias-senpai had insisted on doing a house renovation as thanks for his vital role in the battle against Kokabiel. He agreed that their house was a bit small for five people, so he had let her.

They had gone to live in a large apartment in the same building as Kiba for a few weeks and then returned. To his surprise her little 'renovation' had expanded his house into a huge mansion. Their neighbours had mysteriously moved out and his house now had six storeys up and three stories underground. There was a complete indoor swimming pool, a game room, training hall, library and roof terrace.

His own room was huge now with a bed that could easily fit ten people (which Ruruko and Asia insisted would be necessary in the future). There was also a safe behind a painting in his room, which he used to hide his porn.

The girls had a walk-in closet which they had filled with clothes from the Sitri Game Field, so technically there was no need to go shopping to the real department store. He guessed they just enjoyed going there.

Issei looked as the girls took off their nightgowns.

Not much had happened over the last weeks. Asia wasn't ready to take things much further. At the most they did French kissing or he would touch her boobs, usually over her clothes. Ruruko was more confident, but they couldn't do much in front of Asia of course.

What had changed however is that they took showers by themselves. In the case of him and Ruruko, those were suspiciously long.

"You should get changed as well, Senpai," Ruruko said.

"Huh?" He looked up and noticed both girls were already fully dressed. Asia in a white skirt with a greyish blouse and Ruruko in a shorter black skirt with thigh highs socks and a blue shirt.

While both had changed their clothing style, Asia was still a bit more conservative. However, at night both would wear translucent nightgowns and panties, or even less.

Issei stood up and picked out a random jeans and shirt from his closet.

After breakfast, they took their bikes to the department store (they all had their own bikes now. He had taught Asia how to ride one).

A few minutes later they arrived at the mall. It was pretty calm today.

They went to their usual shop. Near the lingerie section was a swimsuit corner, where he spotted two familiar faces.

"Akeno, Rias-senpai."

"Oh, hey, Ise-kun," Akeno said.

"Morning," Rias-senpai said.

"You're actually just in time, Ise-kun," Akeno said. "Would you mind assisting me?"

He looked at Asia and Ruruko.

"It's fine," Asia said. "We'll look around in the meantime."

"Okay." He turned to Akeno. "What do you need help with?"

"Oh, you know, I just need someone to check if everything fits."

"Akeno," Rias warned her.

"Ara ara, Rias," Akeno replied. "I didn't know a little  _skinship_  between servants was forbidden."

"I… I'm your King."

"Just admit you're jealous."

"Hmph," she crossed her arms. "Do whatever you want."

"I will. Come, Ise-kun." She dragged him with her in the changing room without waiting for his reply.

Akeno closed the curtain.

"You don't mind, do you?" she dropped her voice.

"I'm glad to assist you," he replied.

"Thanks," she beamed. "Could you hold this?"

She handed him several bikinis in various colors and sizes.

Akeno started undressing.

Her seduction tactics had really reached new heights. She was basically giving him a striptease with the slow, teasing way she undressed herself.

"Thanks for helping me out," the Queen said as she unhooked her bra. She took her sweet time in taking it off. "It's difficult to find my size."

"I can imagine that." He was unable to keep his eyes off her naked chest.

"And I need a second opinion on which ones are good. A  _male_  opinion."

"If you really can't find anything your size, you could always go topless," he suggested.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

He smiled. "Just a suggestion. You did ask for a male opinion."

She sat down on his lap and put her arms around his neck. Her boobs bounced right in front of him.

"Well maybe I will," she said in a sultry voice. "Unfortunately, there are situations in which this is considered  _inappropriate_."

"A swimsuit isn't just for use in public."

"If we're alone, I'll gladly take off my top." She leaned closer and whispered in his ear: "Maybe the rest as well."

He could feel her warm breath. They were really close now.

_Stay calm, stay calm._

She would definitely notice if he…

"Would you mind helping me out, Ise-kun?"

"Yeah, sure." He took the first bikini and handed the top piece to her. Without moving from his lap, she put it on and attached the cords.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"Hm, it's a bit small. Does it feel tight?"

"I'm not sure."

"Hm." He reached out and touched her chest.

"Ise-kun." She was startled by this sudden development.

"What?" he asked, feigning innocence. "I'm checking if it's not too tight."

"You can't-"

"Do you need my help or not?"

"Well, yes, I do, but-"

"Well then stop complaining when I'm helping you." He fondled her breast harder. "Or would you like me to leave?"

She bit her lip. "No, stay. Thank you for helping me, Ise-kun."

A faint blush had appeared on her cheeks. She wasn't used to being played like that. And she seemed to enjoy it far more than she cared to admit.

He continued for a moment before released her.

"This is definitely too tight," Issei said. "Let's try something else."

"Okay." She reached back to untie the straps.

He handed her a different top.

"Hm," he said when she had tried them all on.

"No good?"

"There were a few that were okay," he said.

" _Okay_  is not gonna cut it. I want something that makes me look stunning."

"Wait here. I'll be right back."

She got off him and put her blouse on to hide her topless state a bit.

Issei went outside.

"Found something nice?" Ruruko asked.

"Not yet. I'll need some help."

"What do you need?"

"Well." He wondered how far he could push Akeno.

Issei leaned in and whispered something in her ear.

"Oh my," Ruruko said. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Give me a sec."

Ruruko left him. Rias-senpai was sneaking glances at him, but she said nothing.

Ruruko returned shortly after.

"Something like this?" She held up a bikini.

"Perfect. Thanks, Ruruko-chan."

She handed it to him.

He went back inside the changing room.

"Why don't you try this?" he suggested.

"Ara ara, we're getting pretty bold aren't we?"

He shrugged. "You did want to look stunning."

For a moment, he expected she'd refuse, but she didn't. She accepted it and smoothly put it on.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"Hm."

It could hardly be called a bikini. There were two very small triangles in turquoise fabric which were connected with dark blue strings. It basically covered her nipples and a very small area around it, nothing more.

He guessed this was the skimpiest thing Ruruko could find (which was exactly what he had asked her).

"Looks fine to me," he said.

Akeno took off her top. "And how about now?"

"Stunning."

She chuckled. "I can't wear this at school, Ise-kun. Rias is not gonna like that."

"Too bad."

"But I'll take this one too. As you said, a bikini isn't just for public use."

"Okay."

"So, which one of the others do you like most?"

"Hm. That one looks good." He pointed to one in pink and purple with an iron ring in the middle.

"I'll take that one too then," Akeno said. "Thanks for assisting me, Ise-kun."

"My pleasure."

She got dressed again and they went outside.

Rias threw them a venomous look.

"What's wrong, Rias?" Akeno asked. "Do you need help as well?"

"No."

"I did nothing wrong," Issei said. "She asked me to help and I helped her, is that illegal?"

Without replying Buchou walked into a different changing room and pulled the curtain close. She looked rather angry.

"She's so adorable when she's jealous," Akeno said.

"Ise-senpai." Ruruko took his hand. "Could you help me as well?"

"Sure."

"Don't leave me out," Asia said. She took his other hand.

"Well I can't help you both," he said.

"Of course you can, come on." Ruruko dragged him into the changing room he had just left.

He threw a glance around the store. Luckily, this part was pretty deserted. It was one thing to enter a changing room with one girl, but something else to enter it with two girls at the same time.

He spotted Akeno's smile before the curtain closed.

"Have a seat, Senpai," Ruruko said. "I just need your opinion on a few things."

She pulled her shirt over her head. Beneath it, she wore a red bra with lace patterns.

"Me too," Asia said. She started undressing as well. Beneath her blouse she sported a black bra with white orbs on it. It was designed more for cuteness rather than the sexyness of Ruruko's underwear.

"Uhm, are neither of you concerned about Akeno?" he asked. "She's getting pretty seductive lately."

"Don't hold yourself back, Senpai," Ruruko said, she turned so he could unhook her bra (she insisted on not learning how to take them off herself). "If you want her, go ahead. Although I would like a little report on what you're doing with her."

"But-"

"Senpai," Asia interrupted him. "We talked about this before. You'll never be able to choose between the two of us. If we force you, you'll just end up depressed. We don't want that." She reached back to unhook her bra.

"That doesn't mean I should pursue every girl in sight."

"We already agreed you'd have a harem," Rurko said. "Whether it's two girls or three matters very little."

Asia put her bra aside. She covered up her breasts with her hands.

"No," he said. "You're not fooling me. I'll believe that both of you have accepted that I've fallen in love with two girls and I will never be able to choose. But that doesn't mean you'll invite more competition. I won't get depressed from turning Akeno down, you know that. I already have two girlfriends."

"We want to make you happy. You deserve more than just the two of us," Ruruko said. She made no attempt to cover herself up.

"You're already competing for attention as it is."

"It's more than that," Asia said. "We-"

"Asia," Ruruko warned her.

"We can't keep hiding this, Ruruko-chan," Asia said.

"You can't tell him."

"Tell me  _what_?" he asked. A dark tone crept in his voice.

Asia took a deep breath. "We're scared."

"Scared? Why?"

"There was a certain night when you were stressed out," Asia said. "Very stressed out and… your hair started changing color. And your eyes turned red."

"That…"

"I let you touch my breast and that calmed you down again. Your features reverted back to normal."

He did vaguely remember something like that.

"We've discussed this with Rias-senpai," Ruruko said. "And we think you take a piece of someone's personality with you when you steal their power. And since Freed has such an antagonistic personality to yours, he tries to take over."

"That's why I have nightmares," he realised.

"But it's getting better. Didn't you notice, Ise-senpai? When you touched my breast and fell back asleep, you didn't have nightmares."

"We believe," Asia added. "That doing…  _harem things_ , caters to your real personality. It _feeds_  it so to speak. Since we fulfill your heart's desire, your personality grows stronger and is able to resist the influence of the other one more easily."

"Which is why you can't hold back, Ise-senpai," Ruruko said. "If you do, Freed's personality could consume you for all we know."

"We don't know that for sure. This is pure speculation."

"Well I'm not about to take that risk," Ruruko said. "Yes, I don't like the idea of more competition, but I'm not gonna endanger your life for my own selfish desire for attention. Besides," she looked at her chest. "We're not nearly enough to satisfy you."

"You're more than good enough," he said.

"Could you promise us you won't hold back?" Asia asked. "To give us some peace of mind."

"I can't do that," he said. "Yes, getting a harem is my heart's desire, but I also love the two of you."

"That's not mutually exclusive," Ruruko pointed out.

"I won't do anything you're not ready for," he said. "That's non-negotiable."

"Even if it might endanger your life?"

"Yes. besides, I don't think Freed can take over that easily. I'll notice if it gets worse. And those nightmares are pretty stable if you ask me."

"And what about Akeno or someone else?" Ruruko asked.

"I guess if they want to…  _do things_ , I won't refuse them." He doubted Asia and Ruruko would stop worrying if he didn't say something like this.

"Good enough for me," Ruruko said.

"Me as well," Asia said.

"Now," Ruruko said. "Onto more important things."

She put on a bikini.

Asia seemed more reluctant, but then she followed Ruruko's example.

"What do you think, Senpai?" Ruruko asked. She had put on a black top.

"Not bad."

"Not good either?"

"I don't think black is really your color."

"Right, I'll try something else." She turned around.

"You can't pull those strings yourself?" he asked.

"I could, but this is your job, Senpai."

He started to suspect she was messing with him.

In the meantime, Asia had put on a bikini herself.

Ruruko looked at her. "That won't do, Asia-chan. It covers too much."

"But, a bikini is  _supposed_  to cover things," Asia argued.

"It's supposed to cover just enough to keep them staring," Ruruko said. "That's the difference with the school swimsuits."

"But I don't  _want_ them to stare."

"But don't you want to look pleasing for Senpai?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"I'm sure we'll find something you like," Issei said. "Why don't you try that red one?"

"Alright."

Eventually, Asia settled on a red bikini with horizontal yellow stripes and Ruruko on a dark blue one.

They left the changing room. Rias-senpai was nowhere in sight. Akeno looked a bit concerned herself.

"I'll see you later, Ise-kun," she said. She kept her eyes on the changing rooms.

"Yeah. See you later."

They went back home. He was really puzzled by Rias-senpai's behaviour.

But there wasn't much time left to be worried. After lunch, they had to go.

"We have to leave soon," Asia said. "Rias-senpai expects us."

"I have to clean the school building with the Student Council," Ruruko said. "But I'll come see you when I'm done."

"Is something wrong, Ise-senpai?" Asia asked. He hadn't responded.

"I don't feel too well," he said.

"You look pale," Ruruko said, concerned.

"I think it's a spike," he said. "I've felt this before."

The feeling build up slowly over the days after Akeno sucked it out. It was the same feeling now, only much stronger.

"I'll contact her," Asia said.

Akeno arrived via magic circle not even a minute later. She was dressed in her PE-uniform. She had probably been ready to start cleaning the pool.

The Queen put her hand on his forehead. "You're right, it is a spike. I'll have to suck it out straight away."

"Right here?"

"We'll go up to your room," she said. "That should give us some privacy."

She helped him up the stairs.

In there, he immediately sat down on his bed. It felt as if he had the flu or something. The world was spinning before him.

He vaguely saw Akeno kneeling in front of him. She gently took his hand and placed his index finger in her mouth.

He felt the familiar sensation of her sucking out the power. The headache vanished very quickly. The tension in his body was relieved and his vision cleared again.

"Better?" she asked.

"Much better."

"We'll have to do this more often, just in case."

"It just suddenly happened."

"Maybe you weren't thinking perverted enough?"

He looked at the kneeling girl. "Well you certainly fixed that."

With a little smile, she took his finger deeper in her mouth.

"You're thinking of me sucking on something else, aren't you?" she accused him.

"Maybe."

"I guess it's to be expected for a cute virgin like you."

"I may not be as much of a virgin as you suspect."

"Ara ara, Ise-kun. Did something interesting happen?"

"That's not really your concern."

She was taken back by that. "True. I'm sorry. I'll get back to work." She put his finger back in her mouth.

He hadn't meant to say it that harshly.

"Akeno?"

"Hm?" She looked up.

"How do you feel about me?"

"What do you mean, Ise-kun?"

"What would you like us to be? Friends? More than friends? If you just like teasing me, that's fine, but I want to know what you really want."

"Well, as you're asking." She moved up and put a knee on either side of him. Her butt rested on his lap. "I would like to have an affair with you." She said it very casually.

"An affair?"

"Yes. When you get frustrated with your wife, you come to see me in secret. You take me, in any way you like without holding back, driven only by lust. You devour me without any care for my comfort. I'd be your little fucktoy. And when you're satisfied, you go back to the girl you really love and I wait to get used again the next time you're frustrated."

He swallowed hard. That was pretty detailed. "But, why me?"

"Seeing you in those battles really made my heart race. You are so strong and courageous. No matter the odds, you charge forward to protect your friends."

"Uhm, I guess."

"And you are the only one who ever threw me off my game. In the changing rooms, you turned the tables around and made me submit."

"So you enjoyed that?"

"I had to… finish myself in the lavatory to calm down a bit," she admitted. Her face was completely flushed by now.

"Oh."

Akeno sighed. "But you probably don't want to cheat on Asia and Ruruko."

"It could be our little secret," he suggested.

She looked surprised.

Obviously, he wasn't planning to actually lie to the girls, but indulging in Akeno's fantasy wouldn't harm anyone. As long as she  _believed_  that they didn't know, it was fine. Or  _wanted_ to believe.

"Ye, Ise-kun," she recovered. "Are two girls not enough to satiate your appetite?"

"Well," he threw a glance at her chest. "They are a bit lacking in certain departments."

She threw a glance at the door. "They are down there."

"Exactly. Isn't it exciting?"

Her face moved closer and closer. "They could come in at any time," she whispered.

"Does it make your heart race?"

"Yeah."

Their lips touched.

It was a soft kiss which only lasted for a few seconds, although it felt much longer.

Akeno released him again.

"Wow," she said, breathless.

"Was that your first kiss?"

"Yes."

"Wow. I didn't expect that. For all your seduction, you're still a complete virgin."

She blushed. "No fair."

"If you think about it, I'm much more experienced than you."

"Is that so?" she said. "Well then, as the more experienced, shouldn't you take the lead and teach me some things?"

"True."

He kissed her again, harder this time.

Issei put his hands on her lower back and pulled her closer. Her chest pressed against him.

His tongue traced her lips. She took the hint and opened her mouth for him.

They tongue-kissed for a moment. When he tried to end the kiss, she sucked on his tongue to keep him in.

Issei reached up to grab her breast. In her surprise, she released her hold so he could break off the kiss.

"Such a needy girl," he teased her.

Akeno tried kissing him again, but he grabbed her shoulders to hold her off.

"You're so mean," she complained.

"Oh, poor girl." He sneaked in another peck on her lips.

She tried kissing him again, but she wasn't strong enough.

He remembered what he had promised Asia on Ruruko on holding back.

Issei took the hem of her shirt and pulled it up a bit. His right hand slipped beneath her bloomers. When he touched her panties, he found they were already soaked through.

"Oh my, you're a dirty little girl aren't you?"

She bit her lip.

He pulled his hand away.

"Aren't you?" he asked again.

"I… yes." She avoided his gaze.

"Now now, that's not how you reply. You know that, right? I know the kinds of things you're watching."

"Please, Ise-kun."

He let the silence linger.

"I…" she looked at him. "Will you please touch this dirty little girl again, Master?"

"Good girl."

He slipped his hand inside her panties to touch her directly.

She let out a gasp.

He pushed in two fingers.

"Damn, you're soaked just from this."

Someone knocked on his door.

"Ise-senpai? Are you okay? We're getting a bit worried."

The strange spell was broken. Issei quickly retracted his hand.

"I'm fine," he called back.

Akeno stood up. She straightened her clothes. He had never seen her so embarrassed.

"Do you feel better again, Ise-kun?" she asked, quite formal.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"I'll see you at the pool then."

Akeno hurried away. At the door, she moved past Ruruko and Asia who both looked surprised at her fast departure.

"Did we interrupt something?" Ruruko asked.

"Yes, actually."

"Sorry," she said. "I didn't expect you to move that fast with Akeno-senpai."

"It's okay. Come on, we're already late."

He picked up his bag.

Asia cast a circle to get them to the school.

"Ah, there you are," Rias-senpai said. The rest of the peerage were standing inside the pool to clean it.

"I'll see you later, Ise-senpai," Ruruko said. She gave him a kiss before leaving.

"Sorry I'm late," he said to Rias-senpai.

"It's okay. Akeno told me you had trouble with your powers. Are you okay now?"

"I'm fine. I'll go change."

He went inside the building with Asia.

In the changing room, he took out his PE shirt and swimming trunks.

When he was done, he went back outside.

Issei picked up a broom and got into the pool with the others.

Asia arrived shortly after in her PE-uniform.

Cleaning the pool was quite hard work. It hadn't been used in months and all kinds of dirt had gotten into it even though it was covered when not in use.

Seriously, wasn't there some kind of spell to clean this?

After a few sweaty hours, they were done.

They all got out of it.

"Let's take a dip," Akeno said. She lifted her hand.

A magic circle lit up above the pool. From it, a huge torrent of water splashed out. In not even a minute, the pool was completely filled.

They all took off their shirts and the girls case, their bloomers as well.

Koneko-chan was the only one in her school swimsuit, the others all wore bikinis. Xen-chan had a black one with small gold rings and Rias-senpai a white one with larger golden rings connecting the parts. He tried not to stare too much at them.

"Ise-kun?" Akeno said. "Would you mind helping me out?"

He turned around. Akeno hadn't gotten into the pool. Instead, she had laid down on one of the sunbeds.

"What do you need help with?" he asked.

"Could you apply this lotion on my back? I don't want to get burned."

"Sure."

Wait, could devils even get sunburned?

"Thanks," she said. She reached back and undid the straps of her top.

He sat on top of her, one knee on either side. Akeno handed him the lotion which he carefully applied to her smooth skin.

"Sorry for running away," she said on a low tone. "I was pretty embarrassed."

As expected, this was also an excuse to talk to him.

"I may have overdone it," he said.

"Well then please overdo it again sometime. I was embarrassed, I didn't say I didn't enjoy it."

"So you like being embarrassed?"

"Ye, don't ask a girl questions like that, Ise-kun."

"I'll take that as a yes then."

Such a masochist.

"Ise-kun," Rias-senpai interrupted them. "Will you do me as well?"

She lied down on the sunbed next to Akeno.

"Sure, once I'm done here."

Rias-senpai reached back to undo her straps as well.

This situation was getting pretty interesting.

If only they would turn around.

"Hey, Ise-kun," Akeno said, as if reading his mind. "Will you do the front as well?"

"Uhm… sure."

"Hey, Akeno," Rias-senpai complained. "He was gonna do me after this."

"He's not yet finished with me," Akeno said. She turned around without covering up.

Wow.

He had seen her boobs before of course, but still. It was a marvelous sight.

"I'm his King," Rias-senpai said. She pushed herself up, either unaware or uncaring of her topless state.

A topless state she had never been in before Issei.

He couldn't take his eyes of her. It was such a beautiful sight.

"Well hand him over for a while." He vaguely heard Akeno's voice.

"No way, he's mine." Her rough tone woke Issei up again.

"Hey uhm, Buchou?" he intervened. "I know I'm technically your servant, but I was under the impression you were morally against enslaving people?"

She seemed to deflate a little. She covered up her chest as if only realising now how exposed she was. "That has nothing to do with this."

"Well you did speak as if you  _owned_  me."

"She's just jealous," Akeno said. "Don't mind her."

"I'm not jealous!" Rias-senpai yelled. She stormed off, so angry she forgot her top.

Rias-senpai went inside and slammed the door behind her.

Kiba grabbed the edge and took off his diving goggles. "Did I miss something?"

No one replied.

Akeno turned back to Issei. "Where were we, Ise-kun?"

"Don't you think we should go talk to her?" he suggested. Internally, something was screaming to stay here instead with this topless beauty.

"Best to let her cool off a little first," Akeno replied.

"Ise-senpai?" Asia said. She looked at him. The fact that he was sitting on top of a partly-naked Akeno probably contributed a lot to her weird glance.

"Sorry," he tried getting off her, but Akeno grabbed his hand.

"You're not done yet."

"She's right," Asia said. "Don't leave things unfinished, Ise-senpai. Would you do me as well when you're finished with Akeno-senpai?"

She sat down on the sunbed Rias-senpai had just left.

"Uhm…"

"Ise-kun?" Akeno asked.

"Okay then, but once I'm done with both of you, I'm gonna go look for Rias-senpai."

Akeno nodded.

Issei picked up the lotion again and continued from her breasts.

He threw a glance sideways. Kiba and Xen-chan were swimming lengths at a considerable speed. Everything was training to them. Next to them, Koneko-chan swam at a more leisure pace. None of them seemed to mind this weird scene.

Asia patiently waited her turn on her sunbed without complaining.

He spend more time on Akeno's chest than was strictly necessary, but eventually, he moved to her belly and arms as well.

"Done," he said.

"Already?" She sounded disappointed.

"Shall I do your legs as well?" he asked.

"If you wouldn't mind."

He moved down to her legs and worked his way up. At her thighs, his hands brushed past her crotch a few times. She didn't respond to that.

"I'm done," he said. They were in public, he couldn't get carried away here.

"Thanks, Ise-kun," she said. "Now I can sunbathe a little." She put on a pair of sunglasses.

"Shouldn't you put on your top?"

"I don't want to get tan lines."

"Right, of course."

He went to Asia who was already waiting on her back.

Issei untied the strings of her top.

"What are you doing, Ise-senpai?" She pushed herself up.

"This makes it easier to apply the lotion," he said. "I don't want to get it on your swimsuit."

"Uhm, okay." She hesitantly laid back down.

Her voice sounded unsure. While Asia was confident in getting naked for him, this was a lot more public. And even with her sunglasses hiding it, he was certain Akeno was watching their every move.

Issei oiled up Asia's back and arms.

"Shall I do the front as well?" he asked.

"It's okay."

"You don't want to get burned."

"Okay then, but keep on my top."

"You don't mind tan lines, Asia-chan?" Akeno asked.

"I'll survive."

He closed her top again so she could turn around.

"Right," he said when he was done with her belly and legs. "I'm gonna go look where Rias-senpai is."

"You're not done yet," Asia said.

"I'm not?"

She got up and kissed him full on his lips.

He was surprised by this sudden move. Asia had never kissed him in public on her own.

"Now you're done," she said. She lied back down on the sunbed.

That was bolder than he had expected from her.

"Right."

He got up and walked inside.

Issei had to search around a little, but eventually, he found her in a storage room. Rias-senpai was sitting with her legs pulled up, leaning against the wall. She had wrapped a towel around her shoulders.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

She looked up. Her eyes were red rimmed, probably from crying. She shrugged.

He took that as a yes and closed the door.

Issei sat down next to her. For a moment, he considered putting his arm around her shoulder, but he decided against it.

"I don't understand," he said. "You were acting very weird back there."

"I have to apologise to Akeno," she replied.

"True. But… why did you act like that?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Well if I didn't know better, I'd say you liked me, but…"

She shook her head. "It's not that. Not exactly. It's the other way around actually."

The other way around? "You mean I like you? Look, I-"

"Are you that self-centered, Issei? Not  _every_  girl likes you."

"But…" What kind of throwback was this? "What is going on then?"

"I don't want to lose Akeno. She's my best friend, and now she's obsessed with you. She has no attention for me anymore."

"Oh. So you're not in love with me?"

She chuckled through her tears. "You're a cute boy, but no, I'm not in love with you. Sorry to disappoint you."

"So back at the mall…"

"I was shopping with my best friend. It was really fun, and then you appeared and took her away."

So she had asked him to 'do her as well' in an attempt to pull him away from Akeno?

"But Akeno thinks you're jealous."

"The irony is that she is right. I am jealous. Jealous that you get so much attention from her."

"Look, I  _really_ don't want to take away your best friend, Rias-senpai. I'll try to-"

"That's quite enough," she interrupted him, suddenly stern. "Stop being so formal with me."

"But…"

"Just Rias. Your King orders you to call her by her first name."

"Okay then, R-Rias."

"Thanks, Ise. Could you please not tell Akeno?"

"Of course not. But… you'll have to tell her eventually. You have to tell her how you feel."

"I can't do that," she argued. "I don't want her to feel guilty for flirting with you. She's free to flirt with whomever she likes. It's wrong of me to restrict her like that. I  _shouldn't_ feel jealous. Akeno is happy flirting with you. I'm just selfish for wanting her all for myself."  
"Even so, as her best friend, you should be honest with her. Right now, she believes she can just share me and there is no problem. You have to tell her the truth."

"But if she stops pursuing you, you might be in danger. With your powers-"

"That doesn't matter. I have everything under control and I don't think Akeno will stop pursuing me entirely even if you talk to her."

"I don't know."

"It's up to you of course. I won't tell her anything."

"Thanks for understanding." She leaned in and hugged him.

It was kinda inappropriate to think about how her naked chest pressed against him, given the situation, but… why was it so soft?

_Focus, focus._

She released him.

He cleared his throat. "Are you coming back with me, Rias?"

"Just, give me a bit more time."

"Okay. Oh, by the way," he took something from his pocket. "You might want this back." He handed her the top piece of her bikini.

"Thanks." She put her top back on.

"I'll be outside if you need me."

She nodded.

He went back to the others. Akeno had put on her top again (sadly).

"How did it go?" the Queen asked.

"Rias is fine. She just needs some more-"

"Oh, are you on first name basis now? Ye, Ise-kun, what did you do with her in there?"

"You misunderstand, nothing happened in there."

"She's getting pretty aggressive. We're gonna get left behind, Asia-chan."

"It's okay," Asia said. "If Ise-senpai wants to do things with Rias-senpai as well, that's his decision."

"Nothing happened, I swear."

"Still in denial huh?" Akeno teased him.

"Senpai?" a new voice said.

He turned. "Oh, hey Ruruko-chan. Are you done?"

"Yep. It took some time, but we're done cleaning the old school building. I'll go get changed."

"Sure."

"Ye, Senpai, you're coming with me." She grabbed his arm.

"I am?"

Without replying she dragged him inside.

"Don't embarrass me like that, Senpai," she said when they were inside. "You know I can't take off my bra by myself."

"It's really not that hard," he argued. "You could figure it out on your own without trouble."

"You don't get it at all," she said.

She entered the girl's changing room.

He closed the door behind him.

The girl's changing room looked exactly like the boy's one. But he already knew that since he had hid in those lockers a few times to spy on the girls.

"Care to enlighten me?" he asked.

"It's not for me to decide when my breasts are exposed," she said simply.

"Uhm, I don't get it. You are clearly deciding to get changed right now."

"But the final decision is yours. If you decide that my bra stays on, there's nothing I can do about that."

"Well, technically-"

"No Senpai, there's nothing I can do," she insisted.

"Hm." He sat down on the bench. "Is that what you would like to believe? You're deliberately making yourself more helpless. More dependable on me."

She sat down beside him. "Yes. But it's more than that. Even if I would like to take a shower, I'd need you to take it off. Meaning that any practical reasons become secondary to your viewing pleasure. If I undress it's because you want to see my breasts. Even if there was another reason originally, that becomes an extra reason no matter what. It's a constant reminder that I belong to you."

"I see."

"I would expand it to all my clothes and also let you decide when I get dressed, but it's a bit difficult to pretend I can't take off my pants by myself. And you don't have the time to help me get dressed all the time."

"But you do want me to help every time you take your bra off?"

"Sorry. I'm selfish, I know. I'll learn how to-"

"No, don't." He took her hand.

"Senpai?"

"I quite like it like this. It's pretty hot."

"Oh, so you like it when I'm helpless?" she accused him.

"You made yourself like that," he pointed out. "I have nothing to do with this."

"But you're certainly not encouraging me to change it."

"Did you want me to?"

She blushed. "That's beside the point, Senpai."

He chuckled. "Now, I've decided it's time to get your clothes off."

"As you wish, Senpai." She took off her shirt and turned around so he could unhook her bra.

"Anything else you require of me, Senpai?" she asked as she put down her bra. "You seem a bit." her eyes roamed to his crotch. "Frustrated."

"Well, that's to be expected. I'm getting teased all day without any release. First you and the others at the mall and then that spike with Akeno. Not to mention she and Rias taking off their tops. And now this super hot half-naked girl in front of me."

"Shall I relieve you?" she offered. "Like I did at the mall?"

"I'm fine, really," he said.

"You know, it's possible that that little spike happened because you are too frustrated. You really should let me take care of you."

"I said it's fine!" He stood up.

"What's wrong with you, Senpai?" she asked, calmly. "I don't get you at all. You didn't enjoy what we did at the mall?"

"Of course I did."

"You can ask me to do that again you know? In fact I… I've been waiting for you to ask me." A blush appeared on her face.

"What do you want, Ruruko? Whenever we get a bit of privacy we do this? Shall we sneak out during class and find an empty room?" The sarcasm dripped from his voice. Couldn't she see this was impossible?

"I understand your point. But what do you suggest? Do nothing? I can't do that, Senpai."

"I know." She told him what he already knew. This was a problem. He didn't do anything with Ruruko because he was too concerned about Asia. He was concerned she would feel left out. He was concerned she wasn't ready. He was concerned she'd hate him.

"We'll have to talk with Asia," Ruruko said.

"Asia is a-"

_No, he couldn't say that._

"Go ahead and say it," Ruruko said. "Church girl, huh?"

"I didn't want to phrase it like that."

"You believe she can't handle it." Ruruko sounded a bit angry now.

"What do you suggest? That she watches us while we're doing it? Hey maybe she could join in and we could do a threesome. Don't be ridiculous, Ruruko."

"I'm sure Asia wants to do these things as well and wouldn't mind watching us."

"I'm not so sure about that. I think she just feels like she has to do things like that to get closer to me. She thinks of me more like a brother."

"Or you think of her too much like a little sister, Senpai."

He was taken back by that.

Whether it was him or Asia didn't matter much. It felt like anything physical he did with her was only so she wouldn't feel left out. To pretend they really had some relationship going on. But the truth was that she felt more like a sibling than a lover.

"So that's why you're so conflicted?" Ruruko said. "You have a hard time thinking of Asia-chan as your girlfriend?"

"I guess you could put it like that."

"Well we have to fix that then." She put on her bra again.

"Hold on a sec, what are you gonna do?"

"Wait here for a moment." Ruruko put her shirt on as well.

"Hey, you can't-"

"Try and stop me then, Senpai," she challenged him.

It became obvious he wouldn't.

Ruruko opened the door and immediately ran into…

"Asia?"

"Hey," Asia said. "Uhm, I was just going."

"Hold on a sec." Ruruko stopped her. "What are you doing here?"

"Well," her face was as red as her bikini. "The two of you stayed away for so long that I was getting a bit worried, so I came to see if everything was alright. But I should be leaving now."

"Come on in, Asia," Issei said.

"No, I-"

"I don't think he was asking," Ruruko said. She pulled Asia inside and closed the door.

"I guess you heard that last part?" Issei asked.

She fidgeted as she stared down at her legs. "Look, I understand I'm not that desirable to you, so…"

"I didn't mean to say it like that."

"But you did, didn't you?" She looked up, there were tears blinking in her eyes. "Don't you think I've noticed, Ise-senpai? You're always focusing on Ruruko-chan first and then me. You've never done anything physical with me you haven't already done with Ruruko-chan. You're trying to make sure I don't feel left out, but the truth is, I am left out. I am second choice, all the time."

"Look, with two girlfriends, it's pretty much inevitable-"

"That's not the problem, Ise-senpai. I don't mind if you've done something with Ruruko-chan first. In fact, I'd encourage you to lose your virginity with her. She's ready for it, I'm not. But what's the reason you're doing these things with me as well? Is it because you want to? Is it because you desire me as well? Or is it because you're afraid I'll feel left out?"

He had no reply to that.

"You're holding back with Ruruko-chan for my sake," Asia added. "But you're not doing much with me either."

"Well, you didn't seem ready for more," he argued.

"Well maybe I was waiting for you to make the first move. Don't you remember, Senpai? We belong to you, it's up to you to make the first move."

"And how do I know you are ready?"

"We'll tell you if you're crossing a line, Senpai," Ruruko said. "Don't worry so much."

"Still."

"I don't think this is gonna work," Ruruko said. She walked up to him and sank to her knees. "Come here, Asia."

"Hey, hold on a sec, what are you doing?" Issei protested.

Asia nodded and knelt down next to her.

Ruruko reached behind Asia's back and untied her top. Asia's breasts were revealed. She didn't try to hide them this. Asia was unusually confident.

"Go ahead and open his pants, Asia-chan," Ruruko encouraged her. "Take it out."

She reached up with her hands. Because he was only wearing his swimming trunks, she simply had to untie the knot and pull them down a bit.

"It's big," Asia commented.

"You've seen it before, right?" Ruruko asked.

"Yes, but… well, not like that. What do I do now?"

"Hold on, I'll show you."

Ruruko leaned forward and took him in her mouth.

Oh fuck.

It was a good thing he was already sitting down or his legs would definitely have buckled beneath him.

"You think you can do that?" Ruruko asked.

"I'll try," Asia said. "I'll make Senpai feel good."

She reached forward and hesitantly licked him with her tongue from the bottom up. When she reached the top, she wrapped her lips around him and pushed him inside.

"Not bad, Asia," Ruruko said. She stood up and made an arm crossing motion to take her shirt off.

She then sat down next to Issei on the bench.

"If you'd be so kind, Senpai?" she asked.

"Little deviant," he mumbled as he unhooked her bra.

Ruruko smiled. "Do you still think of her as a little sister now?"

Asia picked that moment to push him in deeper.

"No," he grumbled.

"Good." She looked very satisfied with herself.

"Come here."

He put his hand around her and pulled her closer to him.

"Senpai?"

Issei leaned in from behind to kiss her. She was surprised at first but then eased into the kiss.

"Thanks, Ruruko," he said.

"I didn't do anything," she argued.

"Sure you did. I don't think any of us would have made the first move on our own. So thanks for making it for me."

"No problem, Senpai."

"Sorry for getting mad at you."

"It's okay. Both of us just want to please you, Senpai. Isn't that right, Asia-chan?"

"Yes," Asia said. "I know I'm not as naturally seductive as Ruruko-chan, but I can learn. I just need a little guidance." She took him back in her mouth.

"Right," he said. "Get back down there, Ruruko-chan."

"Yes, Senpai."

She sank back down to her knees.

"Ye, Senpai," Asia complained. "That's not fair. She had you all to herself for her first time."

"That's true. And if you were alone I would let you as well. But most of the time it'll be the three of us together, so I want you to learn how to share."

"I guess you're right," Asia admitted. She allowed Ruruko to take over. While Ruruko was busy, Asia took off his trunks completely so he was more comfortable.

The girls switched again.

"Actually," Ruruko said. "This is an indirect kiss between us. We're switching saliva."

She took him back out. "Don't say that, Ruruko-chan." Asia blushed bright red.

"You're not bi-curious?" Ruruko asked. She took the opportunity to take over again.

"No," Asia said. "Of course not."

"Don't worry about it, Asia," he said. "You're doing well."

"Thanks. I'll try my best."

He was being too hesitant. Basically everything that happened so far had been on the girls initiative, even though they constantly said they wanted him to take charge. And Ruruko was bolder in taking initiative which led to a gap between them that caused problems.

Asia had shown it now. The problem wasn't that she didn't  _want_  to do things, the problem was that she had no clue  _how_  to do them.

"I'm sorry, Asia," Issei said. "I thought of you too much like an innocent church girl. A little sister I had to protect."

"And what are you thinking of me now?" she asked. She took him in her mouth again.

"You're my girlfriend."

"We belong to you, Senpai," Ruruko said. "You don't have to be scared."

"I'll try," he promised her.

"Okay."

There was something he wanted to try. But it was a bit…

No, it didn't matter. They would tell him if it was too much. And he had just promised to be less scared.

"Take off your bottoms, Asia," he ordered.

Asia hesitated for a moment, but then she sat up on her knees and pulled them down. She had to sit on her butt to take them off completely.

When she was done, she moved back to her knees.

"Legs open," he said.

She obeyed. He was satisfied to see she was already quite wet.

"What are you planning, Senpai?" Asia asked, a hint of fear in her voice.

He put his hand under her chin and made her look up at him. "If it's too much you can tell me okay?"

"Okay?"

"I don't think she'll be able to say much, Senpai," Ruruko pointed out. She moved behind Asia, already sensing what he wanted to do.

This was supposed to be primarily about Asia, but when they shared him like that, Ruruko's bold nature made her take over too much. If he let them be, Asia would feel inferior because Ruruko was dominating this so much. She wouldn't feel as if she had been necessary at all.

But on the other hand, he didn't want Ruruko to just watch as Asia pleased him. Both of them had to be involved.

"Give me your hands, Asia," he said.

He placed her hands on his knees. "You can signal me if it's too much."

"Okay, Senpai."

"Go ahead, Ruruko."

Asia gasped. Ruruko left hand went between her legs and the other grabbed one of her breasts. Asia looked back. "Ruruko-chan, you-"

Issei put his hand on her chin and forced her to look back at him.

"Ye, Asia-chan. So easily distracted from servicing me?"

"Sorry," Asia said. She took him in her mouth, but she couldn't establish a rhythm with the distraction Ruruko provided. As he had expected.

"That won't do, Asia-chan," Ruruko said. She sped up her own movements. "You're only focusing on yourself. You're doing a lousy job pleasing Senpai."

"I'm sorry," Asia said. "I can't."

"Then do something about it instead of being so selfish, Asia-chan," Ruruko said.

Asia was struggling, but based on the wet sounds Ruruko's hand made, it looked like she was enjoying this a lot.

Asia looked back. "Will you please stop distracting me, Ruruko-chan?"

"Oh no, Senpai asked me to do this," Ruruko said. "It would be very rude to ignore his request."

"But I can't… service him like this."

"Then what do you do, Asia?" Issei asked.

"I don't know," she said. She was pretty frustrated by now.

"I don't think it's gonna work, Senpai," Ruruko said. She twisted Asia nipple between her finger which earned her a surprised yelp. "She's too much of a church girl. She won't figure it out by herself."

"I think so too. We better-"

"Senpai," Asia said. She was panting heavily now. "Will you please assist me?"

"How so?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"Would you… push it down my mouth?  _Make_ me service you."

"That's a great idea, Asia," he said. "I couldn't have come up with it myself."

"Ye, Asia-chan," Ruruko said. "To think of something so perverted by yourself."

She blushed even harder. "Senpai, please." She opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue.

"I guess if that is really what you want, I'll help you, just this once," he said. "But it's pretty selfish to make us do the work for you, Asia-chan."

"Yes, sorry for being so selfish, Senpai."

"Put her hair up, Ruruko-chan."

Ruruko took a spare hair tie from her wrist and put up Asia's hair in a ponytail. He noticed her fingers were pretty wet.

When she was done, she moved her hands back to their previous position.

"Don't move your hands," Ruruko warned Asia. "It would be very rude to stop him when he's doing all the work for you."

"Yes." Asia but her lip.

Issei took her ponytail and gently pushed her down.

He pushed her deeper than she had done on her own. A hint of fear flashed in her eyes. But then, it made way for something else. Surrendering.

She trusted him completely. He could do anything he wanted to her and she would not resist him. She wanted him to take his pleasure from her body.

Issei carefully checked, but she did not signal him with her hand.

He pulled her up again so she could breathe. Spit dribbled down her chin.

"You better remember the movements so you can do it on your own next time, Asia-chan," Ruruko said.

"I'll do my best," Asia said. She breathed hard.

He pushed her back down. Asia coughed up more spit. Her eyes were starting to water.

She suddenly tapped him on his knee.

He immediately pulled her up.

"Are you okay?"

"Senpai," she said. "I'm gonna-"

"Oh, no, no," Ruruko said, she slowed down. "Not before Senpai. His pleasure comes first. Tsk, such a selfish girl."

"Then would you please… use me harder, Senpai? Push it down my throat please. Make yourself-" her face turned into a yelp when Ruruko twisted her nipple. She had a tough time stopping herself from tipping over the edge.

"I guess I'll oblige you then," he said.

He pushed her down again and started thrusting harder and harder.

Fuck. He really wouldn't last much longer either.

"Once you taste it you can finish yourself, Asia-chan."

"Uhu."

Not much later, he exploded in her mouth.

He kept her hair firmly in his hand so everything went in her mouth.

She made a struggling sound. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head for a moment as she came herself.

He felt his orgasm ending and released her ponytail. Ruruko released Asia as well and sat back on her butt.

She slowly took him out of her mouth.

Asia seemed unsure of what do do with the liquid in her mouth.

"Don't spit it out," Ruruko said.

Asia nodded.

She swallowed hard. She had to repeat it a couple times cause the sticky liquid had no desire to go down.

"You could have shared it with me," Ruruko said. "So selfish."

"You already had it last time," Asia said, suddenly confident. "That one belonged to me."

"Are you okay, Asia?" he asked. "That was a bit…"

"It was amazing, Senpai. Can we do that again sometime?"

He smiled. "Sure, sure."

"Oh," she turned to Ruruko. "Thanks for assisting me. If…" she blushed red. "If you want, we could switch next time. Me and Senpai had most of the fun this time."

"Don't worry about it Asia-chan," Ruruko said. "Last time I had him all to myself so I did owe you one. But I might take you up on your offer."

Asia blushed harder. "I'll do my best."

"We should go back before someone comes to look for us." He stood up and put his trunks back on.

"You're right," Ruruko said.

"I'll have to clean up a bit first," Asia said. She pointed to the spit that had dribbled down her chin and chest.

"Hold on." Ruruko opened her bag and picked out some tissues.

"Thanks."

When they were done cleaning up, Asia and Ruruko put their bikinis on and they went outside.

"You sure took a long time," Akeno said.

"Ruruko felt a bit sick," he said. "She had to lie down for a moment."

"So that's why Asia has a ponytail now?"

"Oh," Asia touched the back of her head. "It's much easier to swim like this. Your hair doesn't get into your eyes."

"I see." Akeno didn't seem convinced.

"Ise-kun," a new voice said. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

He looked. "Am I, Rias-senpai?"

"Rias."

"Sorry. Rias."

"You still have to do me." She took out the oil.

"Right. I hadn't forgotten that, I was just,  _distracted_ for a moment."

Asia and Ruruko smiled at him.

"Sure, sure." She laid down on the sunbed and opened up her top.


	25. Chapter 25

_The chess piece floated around in the darkness._

_It was a Pawn. A fire red Pawn._

His Pawn _, he realised. The Evil Piece inside his body._

_Suddenly, it glowed white. The glow increased until all the color was drowned out and there was only white light left._

_How strange._

_A protrusion formed in the middle. It quickly grew larger and changed shape._

_Was that another Pawn?_

_It grew until it was the same size as the original. Then, the connection snapped._

_The glow subsided._

_There were two red Pawns now, both the same size as the initial one._

_However, the one on the right felt different. Its aura was off._

_Was that… hunger?_

_Strange._

_He heard a rumbling sound and runes appeared on the surface. They danced on the edges, glowing white and blue._

Issei opened his eyes.

A dream?

He looked to the side to check the time. It was early morning. Still over an hour before his alarm would go off.

"Morning, handsome," Asia whispered. She gave him a kiss.

"Morning."

She put on the nightlight and studied him. "You look better than usual. No nightmares this time?"

"No. But I did dream of something else."

She blushed. "If you want to, we could enact your dreams in real life." Her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her thin nightgown.

"It wasn't a sexy dream."

"You disappoint me, Ise-senpai," a new voice said.

Someone hugged him from behind. He felt the familiar sensation of Ruruko's chest pressing against his back.

"How could you not dream of something sexy with the two of us sleeping next to you?" she whispered in his ear.

"I don't know."

"Maybe we are wearing too much," Asia suggested. She shrugged out of her nightgown. As usual, she wore only panties beneath it. "Is that better, Senpai?" She didn't cover her bare chest.

"You've grown confident, haven't you?" He reached out to touch her breast.

"So have you," she pointed out. "Touching my chest like that, tsk."

"I don't hear you complaining about it."

Ruruko took her nightgown off as well. She hugged him tight from behind.

"Shall we service you again, Senpai?" she asked.

"I'd feel bad if you always did it to me. Can't it be the other way around this time?"

Asia turned bright red. "Senpai."

"Please don't do that with me, Senpai," Ruruko said. "I want to be the one serving you. I'd feel really bad if it was the other way around. It would feel completely wrong."

"She's right," Asia said. "We should be the ones taking care of you."

"You seem more doubtful, Asia-chan," Ruruko said. "You don't have to follow my lead all the time. It's okay to say what you want."

"I… well maybe I am a little curious how that would feel. But now is not the time for that. We've made Senpai hard so we have to take care of it."

She touched him over his boxers.

"May I, Asia-chan?" Ruruko asked.

"Sure."

Issei laid down on his back. Ruruko took off his boxers and put him in her mouth.

Meanwhile, Asia moved to his side and kissed him.

He fondled her breasts as they slowly made out. It wasn't long before they were tongue-kissing.

"How does that feel, Ise-senpai?" Ruruko asked.

"Amazing."

"Shall I get down there as well?" Asia suggested.

"No, stay here." He kissed her again. "Besides."

His hand slipped into her panties.

"Onii-chan." She inhaled sharply.

"Onii-chan?"

"I… I didn't say that," she panicked. "Forget I said that." Her face turned bright red.

"What kind of fantasies are you having, Asia-chan? Is this why you are so wet?"

"No, I…" she squirmed beneath his touch.

"You're much more perverted than I thought."

"This is all your fault," she said. "You made me like this. Before all this I was an innocent church girl."

"This doesn't feel very innocent to me."

Asia bit her lip.

Ruruko moved up. She lied down next to him on the other side.

"Ye, Asia-chan. You're leaving me behind."

"We'll see about that," Issei said.

He slipped his other hand in Ruruko's panties.

"Hm, you're wet too," he noted.

"It's because I was making you happy with my mouth."

"And that gets you going?"

"Yes, Senpai. Serving you makes me wet."

"Interesting." He rubbed both of them harder.

"Senpai," Ruruko asked. "Are you gonna put it in now?"

"I…" He was taken back by that.

"I can't take this anymore," Ruruko said. "I want you to put it in me."  
"Right now?"

"What's wrong with right now?"

"Uhm. Asia?" He turned to her. Having sex with Ruruko in front of Asia was a bit...

"I can watch, right?" Asia asked.

"Wait, are you okay with her being my first?"

"I already told you I am fine with it," she said. "Besides. What does first even mean? Is the second time gonna feel less good for you? Are you gonna compare my… are you gonna compare me with Ruruko-chan when you take my first time?"

Ruruko chuckled. "Well if you can't say it you're clearly not ready."

"That's fine with me. Ise-senpai is not going anywhere. He'll be there for me when I am ready. Until then I hope he is satisfied with my mouth and breasts."

"Our breasts are hardly big enough to do a paizuri," Ruruko said. "We'll have to ask Akeno-senpai to do that."

"Both of you are perfect," he assured them.

Asia smiled. "Thanks, Ise-senpai."

He turned to Ruruko. "I guess, if you really want to, now wouldn't be so bad. I've been thinking about it too."

"Are you sure you're ready?" she asked.

He shrugged. "What is ready? We've kissed, we've seen each other naked, we made each other cum. And now what? This next step is suddenly super special? It's just another first, Ruruko-chan. Another first I want to share with you."

"Thanks, Senpai."

They got off him.

Issei kicked off his boxers so he was fully naked.

"Wait a minute," he said. "Don't we have to worry about protection?"

"I'm not fertile now, Senpai," Ruruko said. "Devils are only fertile in the first weeks of March."

"They are?"

"Let's not get into that right now, Senpai. It's a bit complicated. All you need to know is that it's perfectly safe outside of early March."

This was probably related to the low fertility of devils Rias had mentioned.

"Alright," he said. "I trust you."

Ruruko got on her back.

"You're not gonna undress?" he asked.

"Are we playing games, Senpai?"

He chuckled. Of course she wanted him to take off her panties for her.

He touched them. Her panties were pretty much soaked by now.

Issei slid them down and threw them on the ground.

Ruruko spread her legs a little.

Asia got next to her.

"You're gonna have to open them more than that, Ruruko-chan."

"I know." She opened her legs a little more.

"Are you scared after all?" he asked.

"No. I really want this."

"This might hurt," Issei warned her.

"I hope so," Ruruko replied. "I wouldn't feel like I've become a woman if it didn't hurt at least a little."

"I don't think an event like this will make you a woman," he said.

She shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"Not really. I'm ready when you are, Senpai."

He moved into position.

Issei teased her by rubbing it up and down over her lower lips.

"Put it in, Senpai," she asked.

"I think he wants to hear you beg for it, Ruruko-chan," Asia said. "Convince him you want it."

"Please Senpai. Take my first time."

"Now, that's not very convincing," he said. He rubbed her clit harder.

"Please," she pleaded. "I need you inside of me. Please fuck me up. Mess up my insides. I want you, Senpai. I-"

He put it in.

She let out a gasp.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Go all the way, Senpai."

He gently pushed it in further.

She grabbed the edges of the sheets. Her fingers balled to fists.

"Is that all the way?" she asked. She didn't dare looking down.

"Uhm, we're like, halfway."

"Fuck. Just how big are you, Senpai?"

"Sorry," he said. He was unable to hide his smile.

Asia bend down and took Ruruko's nipple in her mouth.

He felt her body relaxing a bit. Some of the tension was relieved.

"Don't force yourself, Ruruko-chan," Asia said. "Just relax."

"Shall I continue?" Issei asked.

"Give me a sec." She breathed in and out deeply a few times. "Alright, I'm ready."

He continued. Her body was really struggling to accept his length. But then again, apart from it being her first time, she also had a pretty slender figure so that was to be expected.

With a final push, it slid almost all the way in.

"Wow," she said.

He leaned in and kissed her.

She kissed him back hard. They made out for a while, him unmoving inside of her.

"Go ahead and move, Senpai," she said. "I'm ready."

"Are you sure?"

"I want you to make yourself feel good. Just, don't go too fast please."

"Alright."

He slowly moved inside of her. She gasped.

"Does it feel good?" she asked.

"Yeah. It feels amazing."

"Okay. I'm glad. Make yourself feel good, Senpai."

A strange sensation assaulted him.

What the hell was this?

He pulled out instinctively, but stopped halfway.

Oh, of course.

Ruruko was bleeding a little from losing her virginity, and it had activated his Bloodbound powers. That's where this strange burning sensation came from.

But what kind of powers was he taking from her?

"Are you okay, Senpai?" she asked. Some fear crept in her voice. "Am I doing something wrong? I am right?"

"No no, it's nothing."

"No, I understand. I'm being selfish. I'm limiting your pleasure by being so touchy. Please, Senpai, fuck me as hard as you like. Move as you see fit."

He leaned in and kissed her.

She kissed him back, hard.

The burning sensation faded away.

"Don't worry so much, Ruruko-chan. Just relax."

He sat back upright and continued his movements.

Ruruko slowly got accustomed to him. Her gasps were turning into moans.

"Does it still hurt?" he asked.

"A lot less. It feels nice, Senpai."

"Okay."

"Let's make it feel even better," Asia said. Her hand trailed down.

"Asia, what are you…" the rest of her sentence was lost in a moan.

Asia was gently rubbing her clit. Ruruko was getting worked up fast from that. She was pretty sensitive after all.

Asia made sure not to interrupt Issei's movements with her fingers.

"Senpai," Ruruko pleaded. "Go deeper."

He thrust harder inside of her. It probably hurt, but the pain seemed to turn her on even more.

"You're a little masochist, aren't you?" Issei asked.

"I… maybe."

"Is that so?" He thrusted even harder.

"Yes," she blurted out. "I'm a masochist. Hurt me more, Senpai, please. I'm gonna…"

"Already?" Asia asked. "You don't need much, do you?" She slowed down her movements.

"Don't stop, Asia-chan, please."

Asia turned to Issei. "Can I try something, Senpai?"

"Sure," he said. He didn't know what she was planning, but he wanted to encourage her showing some initiative.

"I'm gonna count down, Ruruko-chan," she said. "You can finish at zero."

"Okay," Ruruko said. Although she seemed a bit hesitant, she was completely submissive now.

Issei wondered what Asia was planning.

Asia used her fingers much harder and faster on Ruruko. From Ruruko's breathing, he guessed she was already on the edge and holding back.

Asia counted down.

"3… 2… 1…"

He expected her to say 'zero', but instead, Asia leaned in and kissed Ruruko on her lips.

What the…

Ruruko was very surprised at first (and she wasn't the only one). But after a short hesitation, her lips yielded and allowed Asia to push her tongue inside.

He heard her moan loudly and felt her pussy spasm around him.

They continued to make out, even after Ruruko had finished.

Eventually, they released each other. Ruruko was still basking in the afterglow of her orgasm.

He was now moving slowly in and out of her, more on autopilot than conscious decision.

"Sorry, Senpai," Asia said. "I hope you don't consider this cheating?"

"I thought you weren't bi-curious?"

"It's her fault," Asia said. "She's the one who mentioned it yesterday. And then I couldn't stop thinking about it."

Ruruko got out of her trance. "Well I didn't expect you to actually go for it."

"Sorry. Was that okay?"

"It was fine, I guess." She looked away with a blush on her cheeks. "As long as we're only assisting each other a little."

It looked like Ruruko enjoyed it more than she cared to admit.

"If you are okay with that, Senpai," she quickly added. "You really should have asked that first, Asia."

"It's okay, don't worry about it," he assured them.

He wasn't really in a position to complain. He had made out with three girls already, so how could he say they had to be exclusive to him? That would be imposing a double standard on them. And as long as they were only making out with each other, he didn't really mind watching some girl on girl action.

"Still," Ruruko said, unconvinced. "Asia decided on her own."

"I'll only do it again if Senpai wants us to then," Asia said.

"I guess… if Senpai wanted us to, we'd have to oblige him."

"Indeed," Asia confirmed.

"But only because he wants us to," she added.

"Of course." Asia smiled at her.

"Anyway, we're getting carried away." She turned to Issei. "You haven't finished yet."

"It's okay."

"Don't be ridiculous, Senpai. Lie down, I'm gonna get on top of you."

"Alright."

He took it out and lied down on his back, careful not to get any blood or fluids on the sheets. Although in retrospect, it was a bit of a futile effort.

Ruruko didn't seem to mind the blood at all.

She crawled on top of him.

Confidently, she put it back inside of her and pushed it all the way in.

She sucked in her breath.

"Are you okay? Does it hurt?"

"Don't worry about me. This is about you." She put her hands on his chest for balance and slowly moved up and down.

Asia knelt next to him. She leaned in closer.

"Senpai?" she asked.

He got the hint and kissed her.

She wasted no time in using her tongue. Her movements were quite desperate.

"You seem pretty worked up," he noted. He touched her panties, which were completely soaked.

Asia nodded. Her face was red.

"Take them off," he ordered.

"Yes, Senpai."

Without hesitating, she got out of her panties.

He directed her to sit next to him with her knees spread apart.

She immediately did as he asked.

Issei put his hand between her legs.

"Senpai." She grabbed his hand.

"Put your hands behind your back."

"Okay." She folded them on her back, her hands grabbing her own elbows.

Now she couldn't interrupt him anymore.

"Ye, you really are bi-curious," he said. Her fluids coated his fingers quickly.

"No, it's because of you, Senpai," she argued.

He slipped in two fingers.

Asia breathed hard. "Sorry I'm not ready for the real thing yet. I really want to make you feel good, like Ruruko-chan, but…"

"It's okay. Don't worry about it, Asia."

"But-"

He shushed her. "I said don't worry about it. I want you to be ready for it."

"Senpai," Ruruko interrupted them. "Am I doing a good job?"

"Yeah. You're amazing, Ruruko. Go a bit deeper."

"Okay." Little gasps escaped her lips every time he went in fully.

"Are you gonna cum inside, or do you want to do it somewhere else?"

"Ye, Ruruko-chan," Asia said. "It has to be inside of you. It's your first time, it's only right."

"You're right, I'm sorry. Please cum inside of me, Senpai."

Fuck. He really wasn't going to last much longer like this.

"Senpai," Asia said. "Don't stop."

He worked her pussy faster. Not long after, Asia came hard on his fingers. Her fluids dripped down over his fingers on the covers.

"Thank you, Senpai." She gave him a long kiss. "You're the best."

"Don't stop," Issei said. "I'm gonna… " His hips started moving on their own, meeting every thrust from Ruruko-chan.

Asia got the hint and kissed him again. Her tongue pushed past his lips.

He reached up to grab her breast.

Oh fuck.

"Do it, Senpai," Ruruko said. "Right now. Cum inside of my virgin pussy."

That pushed him over the edge.

He finished, right inside of her.

Issei felt his body tense up for a moment, and then go limp.

Ruruko slowed down her movements, but didn't stop.

Asia slowly broke off the kiss.

"How was that?" she asked.

His ability to form a coherent phrase had spurted out as well it seemed.

It took him some time before he could reply.

"That was amazing."

Ruruko chuckled. "Glad you enjoyed that."

She kept moving slowly up and down until he had gotten so soft it slipped out.

He looked at Ruruko-chan. There was a sticky mess of his cum, some blood and her own fluids leaking out of her.

Ruruko was struggling a bit with it. She didn't want it to drip on Issei, but she didn't want to touch it with her hands either, so it simply dripped on the sheets.

"We're gonna have to clean the sheets I think," Asia said.

"Yeah, looks that way."

"Sorry," Ruruko said.  
A sound disturbed them.

[Onii-chan, get up. Onii-chan?]

He chuckled. His alarm clock had a good sense of timing.

"Looks like it's time to get up," Asia said. She turned off the alarm.

"I suggest we take a shower first," he said.

"I second that idea," Ruruko finished.

They all got up.

Asia collected the sheets and their clothes. She took them with her and tossed them down in the hallway. They could take them downstairs after their shower.

Luckily there was a bathroom on this floor so they didn't have to walk around half the house naked.

Issei locked the door behind them. It was merely habit since his parents had their own bathroom on another floor.

Ruruko turned on the shower. They had a huge showerhead now which provided enough space to let them shower together.

He had decided not to complain about the ridiculous water usage or ask where Rias had found that thing.

They all got under the warm water.

"I think I'll need your help, Ise-senpai," Ruruko said.

"Me as well." Asia pushed her breasts against him.

"I'll gladly assist both of you then."

He picked up the shower gel.

"I really enjoyed that, Senpai," Ruruko said as he rubbed the shower gel over her breasts. "It hurt a bit at first, but then it felt good. I'm really glad we did that."

"Me too."

"Senpai," Asia said. She hugged him from behind. "You're not gonna focus only on her from now on, are you?"

"Of course not. I enjoyed what we did yesterday as well."

"You'll let me do it again sometime then?"

"Of course."

"Okay."

"Besides. I don't think it will be that long before you're ready to have real sex."

"I think you're right," Ruruko added. " _Onii-chan_."

Asia turned bright red. "We should hurry up," she changed the subject. "Rias-senpai will be here soon."

He chuckled.

After their shower, which took longer than was strictly necessary, he got dressed in his training outfit.

He had physical training with Rias on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday now.

"Technically you already had your physical training," Ruruko said. She put on her own jersey.

"Yeah. But I don't think that counts."

"Asia?" Ruruko turned to her. "Why are you putting on your PE-uniform?"

"I'm going with you," she announced. "I'm a devil for a few weeks now, I can keep up with the two of you."

Issei shrugged. "Good enough for me."

"Maybe I'll leave you behind," she said.

"Sure, sure."

They finished dressing and went downstairs to have breakfast.

Rias arrived halfway through.

"Sorry," Issei said. "We had a hard time getting out of bed this morning."

Ruruko suppressed a chuckle at 'hard time'.

"Don't worry about it," Rias said. "We have plenty of time. There are no fights coming. Not that I know of at least."

"Oh, by the way," Issei said. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Could you check on my Evil Pieces?"

She frowned. "I could, but I don't see why."

"To confirm something."

Still frowning, she put her hand on his chest.

A red glow appeared.

"Strange."

Rias looked very confused.

"Two of them?" he asked.

"Yeah. It looks like your single Mutation Piece has somehow split into two pieces. And one of them feels weird."

"Blue/white runes at the edges you mean? And a different aura?"

"How do you know that?"

"I had a dream about it."

"Hm," she said. "I'm by no means an expert, but I think that your Pawn permanently absorbed the rampant power in your body and split it off. This second Pawn still has your aura as the main aspect, and the other aura seems trapped inside."

"You mean that second Pawn contains Freed's power?"

"Yes. Have your nightmares stopped?"

"So far they have."

"It's strange for this to happen so suddenly," Rias said. "Did something happen yesterday or today?"

"Well, maybe."

If touching Ruruko's breast could make the nightmares go away for a few hours, then it wasn't such a stretch to think that doing more had somehow accomplished this.

Was the scene yesterday enough?

"But wait," he said. "Would that mean I can permanently use Freed's power? Without any Promotion?"

"Only one way to find out." Rias opened a portal and retrieved a gold handle.

Issei picked up the sword. It burst to life with red light.

"Wow."

"Interesting. Do you feel normal?"

"Yes. But, doesn't the power normally try to take over?" He turned the weapon back off.

"I think not," Rias said. "Your different powers stay dormant normally. When you Promote, your Pawn piece temporarily absorbs one of these dormant powers. So when you tried using it without Promotion, you made it go rampant inside your body. But with this Pawn holding the power for you, it's the same thing as Promoting. It should be safe, I think."

It was all a bit speculation of course, but given the precedents, it seemed to make sense. He did feel perfectly in control.

Still, to have his own Evil Piece split in two, that was pretty crazy. But even for a Mutation Piece, his Pawn was exceptional, so it wasn't that far fetched it had exceptional abilities too.

"It's almost as if this Pawn was designed for me. Isn't this awfully convenient?"

Rias shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe it was. Both your Pawn piece and your ability are unprecedented, so they could have the same origin for all we know. Which would certainly explain why they match so well. Or maybe your Pawn learned to do this. Evil Pieces have some evolutionary capacities. Just like Sacred Gears, they can grow and adapt to the needs of their user. Especially Pawns are known for this, since they have the ability to change by Promoting."

"Akeno-senpai will be sad," Ruruko said. "She doesn't need to suck out your power anymore."

"Well, maybe we should let her do it anyway," he said. "Just in case. You never know."

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind," Ruruko said.

"Anyway, are we going?" Rias asked.

"Yeah, sure."

They quickly cleaned up the table and went outside.

The girls started running. They were all very fast, but somehow, Issei managed to catch up with them.

"Since when can you keep up with us?" Rias asked.

"I don't know. Since today?"

"You're definitely running faster," Ruruko said, she was breathing hard.

"Yeah," Asia said.

"I think you'll be the ones left behind this time."

He sped up even further. All three girls trailed behind him.

"I think we're gonna take a different tour this time," he said.

"Hey," Rias complained.

He turned left instead of right.

Sometime later, they arrived in the park.

"Not fair," Rias said. She sat down on a bench to rest.

Issei looked at the fountain.

It had all begun here.

"It's over, isn't it?" Ruruko said. "Your nightmares are gone, I'm sure of it."

"Yeah," he replied. "Seems like I have it all under control now. William may be plotting more things, but I don't think we are involved in it. If we were, we would have noticed by now."

"So it's back to our boring lives then?"

"So you'd call this morning boring?"

She blushed. "I didn't mean it like that."

"This is much more fun than fighting for our lives. Who knows what surprises I have planned for you?"

"I'll look forward to it then."  
"Hey," Asia said. She took his arm. "Don't leave me out."

"I wouldn't dare."

"You totally were."

"Actually I was just gonna ask your opinion on a triple date."

"A date?" she asked. "With the three of us?"

"Yep."

She and Ruruko shared a look.

"That sounds fun," Ruruko said.

"Count me in," Asia added.

"See," he said. "It's not the end. It's the beginning."


	26. Chapter 26

Azazel's character released another fireball. It made a sizzling sound as it surged through the virtual air. It reached the intended target and blew it apart.

"Damn, you've been practising," Issei said. "You're leaving me behind."

"I'll get the highest score this time," the fallen angel proclaimed.

"This is a co-op game. Completing the level is more important."

"Said the loser."

"We'll see who is the loser."

Issei mashed the buttons faster.

During their first meetings, Azazel had sucked at this game, but he was improving quickly.

Issei had learned some things as well over the weeks.

Grigori was a deeply divided organisation. Azazel may be the Governor-General, but by no means was he their supreme ruler. Various forces pulled and pushed, and fallen angels going rogue were no exceptions. His control was very limited.

Azazel had two reasons for inviting him over. Firstly: to assure him the majority of the fallen angels had no desire to start another war.

And secondly: to learn more about them. He had heard some rumours about a holy-demonic sword and Issei's Bloodbound power, both of which interested him. It seemed to be both a personal interest in rare Sacred Gears and a safety measure. He had to know if they would be a potential threat to Grigori in the future.

"Watch out!"

Azazel cursed. He had backed off too much and fallen backwards of the tower. His character fell down into the moat and was skewered on the spikes.

[You lost.]

"We were almost there this time," the Governor-General said. "Stupid tower."

"We were only on floor seven, I wouldn't call that  _almost there_."

A side door opened. Yuuma-chan came in carrying a tray.

She was dressed in her usual uniform: a black dress with an apron. It was a bit reminiscent of a French maid uniform, but without all the frills. Her collar glowed faintly purple. For safety reasons, it stayed on at all times (and she couldn't remove it herself). So far, there had been zero problems though.

Yuuma-chan smoothly walked over to them.

"Here you go, Ise-sama, Azazel-sama." She put the tray down. It contained two steaming cups of tea and a plate with cookies.

"Will the two of you be requiring anything else?" she asked as she folded her hands in front of her.

"We're fine, thanks, Yuuma-chan," Azazel said.

"I'll be going then." She curtsied before leaving them.

"She's doing well," Issei said. He picked up a cookie and took a bite. They were really good.

He had been worried about Yuuma-chan at first, but she was actually doing fine.

While Azazel had told her she could stay as a guest, she felt bad about not doing anything. After only a day, she had asked him to be trained as a maid, to which Azazel had agreed since he hated doing the housework himself.

Yuuma-chan had quickly picked up how to cook and clean. Her first tea had been disastrous, but she was a quick learner.

Issei had given her that uniform so she looked like a real maid. (And because he always wanted to see a girl in a maid uniform but didn't dare asking Asia or Ruruko.)

"Let's try again," Azazel said. "I know we can beat this level."

"One more time then," Issei agreed.

They were stuck on the last level of Bikini Warriors 3 for several evenings now.

The map was a single tower (the Tower of Death) surrounded by a moat with a drawbridge. There were ten storeys with only a ceiling and a floor on each one and no side walls. Huge pillars supported every ceiling. By using ladders, you could climb between the storeys.

It was notoriously difficult to complete this level on Legendary because all fights were in the narrow space of a single floor. Usually, Bikini Warriors had wide open spaces with plenty of room to run to when you were in trouble. But if you backed off too much here, you fell down and had to start over.

Completing it on Easy or higher would make the characters go topless, but if you beat the game on Legendary, they went fully naked. So far, Issei had never accomplished this feat. Even after trying for weeks with Motohama and Matsuda they had never reached the tenth floor.

The level finished loading. Their characters were dropped outside the tower.

"You know, you could do some ecchi stuff with Yuuma-chan if you wanted to," Azazel suggested. "She's totally in love with you."

"Only because she believes she is Amano Yuuma and that was a part of her fake persona."

"But her real memories are unlikely to ever return," Azazel argued. "So why would you bother with it? She's Yuuma-chan now, my adoptive daughter and maid. There's no more Raynare, and frankly, I think this is a good thing. She was never happy as Raynare, but she's very happy as Yuuma-chan. And she loves-"

"Watch out."  
Azazel quickly dodged a fireball. They were at the mage skeletons now, on the first floor.

"Besides," Azazel continued. "It's a maid's duty to serve  _all_  her Master's needs."

"I have two girlfriends," he pointed out.

"There are certain things you don't do with your girlfriends. Or do you dress them up as-"

"Keep your eyes on the game," Issei interrupted him. "We almost died again."

"Sorry."

A communication circle lit up near Azazel's ear.

He frowned when he heard the message. "Right now? I'm a tad busy."

The door opened and Yuuma-chan entered again.

"Alright, alright," Azazel said. "I'll be right there."

He stood up.

"Something wrong, Azazel-sama?" Yuuma-chan asked.

"Something came up, I have to go."

"Hey, don't leave me here alone." Issei furiously dodged the fireballs. Not even three seconds later, he was dead.

"We were almost there," he complained. "You said we'd try one more time."

"I  _really_  have to go," Azazel said. "We'll try again next time."

"Perhaps…" Yuuma-chan said. "Never mind. Bad idea."

"You want to play in my stead?" Azazel asked.

"I… uhm."

"Go ahead, Yuuma-chan. I'm sure you'll be great at it. I'll be home before dinner. Have fun."

She bowed deeply before him.

Azazel left them via magic circle.

When he was gone, she stood in front of Issei. She put her hands together over her belly.

"Is it okay if I take his place, Ise-sama? My skills are probably a bit lacking, but I'll try my best."

"Uhm, sure." He handed her the controller.

"Thank you, Ise-sama." She accepted the controller.

"You can sit down," he said. She looked like she would stand there forever.

"As you wish."

Yuuma-chan sat down next to him on the couch.

"So uhm," she asked. "How does this work?"

"Well." He explained her the controls and basic way the game worked.

She patiently waited until he had finished. "Okay, I think I got it."

"Are you sure? I don't need to repeat anything?"

"No need. Let's begin, Ise-sama."

"Alright then. But don't feel bad if you die, this is the last level on the hardest difficulty." He started the level. "First, we need to take out those skeletons outside so the drawbridge opens."

She pressed a few buttons. Her Mage character launched a fireball. It missed the skeletons by a wide margin.

"Not bad," Issei said. "But you're supposed to aim for the skeletons."

"Can't we aim for those pillars?"

"What? No, of course-"

He was left speechless. Yuuma's fireball spell hit a pillar and destroyed it.

"Yes, but… destroying too many pillars can make the tower collapse on top of you." He remembered that happening a few times in the past.

"But we're not  _in_  the tower right now," she pointed out.

"Yes, but…"

No, no, it couldn't be that simple.

"This should work, right?" She continued destroying pillars using her magic.

This would definitely give a bug or something. No way this would work. It couldn't be that ridiculously easy.

The tower made a rumbling sound and collapsed.

He saw Yuuma's score go up at an insane speed. She had a absurdly high combo due to killing all those enemies at the same time.

The entire tower was reduced to rubble now.

"I can't believe it."

"Did we win?" she asked.

"There's no winning notice." They must have found a bug.

No, wait.

The rubble moved. Something massive crawled from under it.

"That's the boss," he said.

The giant stood up. Only half of its HP had been taken away by the fall.

It picked up its huge blade and ran for them.

Maybe they could take it? In this wide open…

Never mind. The drawbridge had been destroyed when the tower collapsed and the boss was not capable of jumping it seemed. It simply ran straight into the moat, fell down and died on the spikes.

[You win.]

The characters let out an adorable moan as they were stripped completely naked.

"We won?" Yuuma-chan asked.

"I can't believe it." What kind of developer ass-pull was this?

The game connected to the leaderboard.

"We have the highest score ever," he said. This was a joke, right?

Their names were recorded on the leaderboard at the very top. No one else had even one percent of their score. Looks like they were the very first to find this trick.

"Well that was fun," she said. "Thanks for obliging my request, Ise-sama."

"No problem," he said. He kept staring at the leaderboard.

She put down the controller and stood up.

"Is there anything else you require of me, Ise-sama?"

"Not at the moment."

"I'll take my leave then. I hope we can play again sometime, Ise-sama."

"Yeah," he said. His eyes darted to her chest. "Maybe a different game next time."

"I'm looking forward to it." She curtsied before leaving him.

Issei smiled. Highest score ever.

Matsuda and Motohama were gonna be sick with jealousy. He couldn't wait to see the look on their faces when he told them about it.


End file.
